Glass Hearts: the Sixth Year
by coolpearls
Summary: In fact, he didn’t know if he had ever felt more alive than when he was kissing her. MWPP, Lily, 6th year.
1. The End of Summer

**Title:** Glass Hearts

**Rating:** PG-13

**Spoilers:** All books.

**Genre:** General, Romance, Humor.

**Era:** 1970-1981.

**Main Characters:** MWPP, Lily.

**Ships:** James/Lily, Remus/Marlene McKinnon, Sirius/OC

**Summary (for chapter):** We se the Marauders before the beginning of their sixth year: Sirius moves in with James and the boys babysit Sirius's cousin. Lily boards The Hogwarts Express.

**A/N:** This is a brand new version of my previous Glass Hearts story (I only posted one chapter before - this one, but this time, I've added things). I have more than 35 chapters already, and I plan on finishing it.

* * *

James told girls that Sirius Black showed up in his room stark naked all the time, but they never seemed to believe him. That was until one day in the summer, when Juniper and Jewel Mufflet, the twin Ravenclaw girls who lived down the street, came over to James's house for some of his mother's cookies. He was talking, laughing, and charming when he opened the door to his bedroom and found his best friend changing out of blue briefs with phoenixes on them. Juniper and Jewel immediately erupted into giggles, blushing the color of Lily Evans's hair, and James raised his eyebrows at Sirius. His dark-haired friend smirked at him, making no motion to conceal himself. 

"All right, girls," James said, shutting the door. "I think you two have had enough excitement for the day."

When Sirius walked into the kitchen ten minutes later, fully dressed, Juniper and Jewel grinned at each other, avoiding his eyes. He slid into a seat between the two girls, across the table from James. "Nice of you to drop in, Sirius," James said, smirking.

Sirius's black hair was long, falling casually over his eyes. He usually kept his hair long over the summer because he knew how much annoyed his mother. Sirius only nodded at James and leaned back on his chair, the front two legs hovering in the air. All of the clothes he now wore were James's, but parts of them were a bit tight on him, being the more muscular of the two, as he always made his business to remind James.

James's mother walked in and gave her guests a dazzling smile. "Sirius, how nice to see you!" she said cheerfully. When she passed him, she pushed his chair back unto all fours. "Would you like some cookies?"

"No thanks," Sirius said lightly.

Juniper stumbled to her feet, still avoiding Sirius's eyes. "Um, I think Jewel and I need to be getting home," she said.

Jewel, who had been glancing over at Sirius furtively, looked up at her twin sister. "We do?" she asked.

"Yes," Juniper said. She took Jewel's hand and the two of them started to walk out.

"Oh, girls, are you sure you wouldn't like to stay for dinner?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"Yes," Juniper repeated. "Thanks, but we've got a busy schedule. Bye, Mrs. Potter. Bye, James."

"Bye, Sirius," Jewel said with a smile.

"It seems like you've got another suitor on your hands, Sirius," Mrs. Potter said. She smiled at him and her son again before leaving the kitchen.

The two boys were left alone in the kitchen in silence. Sirius was looking steadily at the glass of lemonade in James's hands. He spoke first. "How long do you reckon your folks will let me stay?" he asked.

"They don't care, as long as they don't get any visits from the Ministry," James said, shrugging.

"How long will you let me stay?" Sirius asked, still not looking at James.

"Stay as long as you like," James said. He put on a mock-stern face. "As long as I don't get any visits from the Ministry, young man."

A small smile strayed unto Sirius's face and he looked up at James. "Don't worry," he said coolly. "Only prats get caught."

* * *

"REMY!" 

One can only imagine Remus Lupin's shock. He was shopping for his mother in a Muggle village, quietly walking through the streets when all peace of summer holidays was interrupted rather rudely by a yell, a tackle, and a dog. Then he was sprawled on the street, dazed and confused, with a massive dog eagerly licking his face and neck.

"Good dog, Padfoot, good dog!" James yelled, scratching the dog behind the ears.

Remus stumbled to get up, pushing the dog off of him. He looked at the two figures before him; a tall black haired boy with glasses, playing with a hyperactive dog. _These_ were his best friends. He wiped his face as well as he could. And he had only recently got the smell of dog out of this vest.

"How did you find me?" Remus asked, not sounding nearly as miserable as he felt.

"Oh, Remus, old boy, you don't sound like you're very happy to see us," James said, walking over to Remus and plopping an arm around Remus's shoulders. "Your dad told us you'd be here, and that you'd be delighted to see us."

"My _dad_?" Remus repeated in horror.

"Yes, we dropped by your house, and you weren't there, so we came to find you," James said. "I'm so happy to see you I could kiss you, but I think Sirius has given you enough saliva for the both of us." He clapped Remus on the back. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Padfoot was now running in circles, chasing his tail. "Shopping for my mum's birthday," Remus told James while watching Padfoot.

"Oh, well, we'll help you!" James said. He added quietly to Remus, "Padfoot's a genius at middle-aged women – just look how much his mum loves him."

On the way down the street, Padfoot prowled along at James's feet, looking up at him occasionally, as though expecting a prize for merely staying with him. "So, how old is she turning?" James asked. Remus, James, Sirius and Peter had visited the Lupin's last summer. Everyone had visited everyone last summer, except no one had gone to Sirius's. Sirius hadn't even asked his parents if his friends could visit; he didn't want to spend any time at Twelve Grimmauld Place that he didn't have to.

"Forty," Remus replied. There were a lot of things he had done with James and Sirius that he had never expected; prowled the Forbidden Forest, pranked everyone and their mums, gotten detention, swore, smoked, drank . . . but shopping for his mum's birthday present was not one he had ever, _ever _expected.

"The big Four-Zero," James said knowingly. "She hasn't had her mid-life crisis yet, no?"

"No," Remus said. "Hopefully I'll be at school when – or if – that happens."

"Oh, it'll happen," James said, no doubt trying to sound threatening. "It will."

Ahead of them, a group of Muggle girls were standing near a window, pointing at purses they didn't have and gossiping about boys they didn't have. One of the girls turned away from her friends and saw Padfoot. She gasped, walking toward the dog.

"How cuuuuuuute!" she squealed. Her friends followed, crowding around Padfoot and petting him while he wagged his tail and panted from excitement. Remus rolled his eyes. Only his best friends would go this far to get attention from girls. Although this was mild compared to the valentines Lily Evans had received in February.

"Oh, what's his name?" one of the girl asked James and Remus.

"Padfoot," James answered, looking eager and ready if she asked his name.

"He doesn't even need a leash," one of the girls said, ruffling Padfoot's ears. "He must be such a good dog."

"So, whose dog is he?" another girl asked.

"He's mine," James said, running a hand through his hair and giving her a smile.

"What kind of a dog is he?"

"Oh, you know…this kind, that kind. A mix," James said, waving his hand.

"What are you guys doing in town today?" one of the girls asked. Before they could answer, she stuck her hand out. "I'm Helen."

"James, nice to meet you," James said, shaking his hand.

"And you are?" Helen asked Remus.

"I'm Remus," Remus replied, also shaking her hand.

"We're shopping for his mum's birthday," James said.

"Oh, that's so sweet!" another girl cooed. "You're so thoughtful."

"My brother never gets my mum presents," another said.

The other three introduced themselves – Nicole, Nancy and Susan. They insisted on going shopping with them, giggles, gossip and all. As James draped an arm around Susan's shoulders and Helen talked nonstop to Remus, he wondered vaguely what cruel gods decided this day of doom for him. Not only was he inept with any and all kinds of girls, he was also – well, inept with any and all kinds of girls, which was bad enough.

They went inside a store, leaving Padfoot behind, and when they came back out, with no present for Mrs. Lupin, the big black dog was gone. Instead, a tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the pole.

"Where did Padfoot go?" Nancy asked as Nicole and Susan whispered about the handsome boy ahead of them.

"Oh, he probably just ran home," James said, shrugging it off.

"You let him alone in the city often?" Helen asked.

"Yeah, sure," James said. He looked at Sirius. "Hey, mate, what are you doing on this end of town?"

Sirius shrugged, raising shoulders as elegantly as possible.

"You know him?" Susan asked James. She giggled when Sirius winked at her and they moved along down the street, chatting and laughing and 'shopping' for Mrs. Lupin's birthday present.

And all Remus could think was _'Cruel, cruel gods…'

* * *

_

Andromeda, though years older than Sirius, would always be his first love. She _was_ his first cousin, but generations ago, cousins married all the time.

Ever since he was born, Sirius had been in love with her charming smile, her twinkling eyes, and her long, dark locks. She was the one to sneak him candy after bed, to send him gifts from Hogwarts, and to take him places over the holidays. When he was younger, he was convinced he was going to marry her, and still secretly was. Old Teddie could always die, right? Right.

Even now, primping in the mirror while Nymphadora attacked James, Peter and Remus, Sirius sat in the seat next to her vanity, leaning against the wall, watching her through the corner of his eye.

"Thank you for watching her," Andromeda said coolly over the screams of a hyperactive three-year-old running from James. "Ted and I haven't gone out for a long time."

"Anything for you, m'dear," Sirius said, smirking.

"You're so kind," Andromeda said shortly. She paused, setting down her brush. "Your brother has been mailing me since you left."

Sirius nodded his hair out of his eyes, pretending not to care. "What has he said?" he asked.

"That you left and your mother hasn't stopped yelling since," Andromeda said. "He wants to go back to Hogwarts so that he can see you, and he was made prefect this summer."

Sirius's eyes flicked over to Remus, who now had Nymphie on his shoulders. "I knew it," he said. "He's such a kiss-up, really."

"He misses you," Andromeda said, now looking at Sirius.

"'Course he does," Sirius said roughly. "I – what, Andromeda? What do you want me to say?"

"That you miss him, too," Andromeda replied. There was a scream, a thud and then a crash. Andromeda turned in her seat. Peter was huddling by a broken lamp. He pointed at the little girl who was laughing. "_Reparo_." She looked back at her cousin.

"What's the point of _saying _anything?" Sirius asked. "You know I do, but you always insist on me _saying _things. So much like a female."

Andromeda smiled at Sirius. She stood. "I need to get going," she said. "Have her in bed by nine. Don't drink anything. You don't turn eighteen for a _long_ time."

Sirius just gave her a wry smile. "Just, at least, don't break anything," Andromeda said, narrowing her eyes. "Thanks again, really, Sirius. Bye, boys!"

The three boys waved good-bye while little Nympho ran to her mother for a hug. Andromeda scooped up her little girl, covering her face with kisses. She kissed Sirius on the cheek, then left the room, leaving the scent of her perfume behind.

The four boys watched Nymph for the night. They had a variety of nicknames for the feisty little girl – Nympho, Nymphie, Nympha, Nymph, Dora, Dory, Dot. She had nicknames for them, too, such as Jass, Siwus, Pee and Weemus. Weemus was definitely her favorite.

"This is injustice," Sirius complained. "She likes you more than me. I'm her _cousin_ – and future step-father."

"At least she doesn't have a nickname for you that's a bodily function," Peter said.

"Future step-father?" James repeated.

"Oh, yes, Sirius is going to marry Andromeda after Ted dies," Remus informed James.

"But I thought Violet Moss had you claimed," James said innocently.

"And you also thought you had Lily Evans claimed," Sirius replied.

Remus smiled, despite his better judgment. "Harsh," Peter said.

"Shut up, _Pee_," James said, making a face at him.

Nympho brought her toy car to Sirius, squealing and giggling. She brought him all the rest of her toys over the next ten minutes. "Maybe you'll marry Nympho instead of her mother," James said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sirius muttered.

After they put Nympho to bed and each of them read her one story, Sirius led the others to the kitchen. "She's got firewhiskey, wine, mead," he said. "You name it, they've got it. And they don't even drink half of it, it always spoils. So, really, we'll just be helping out."

"You sure they won't care?" Peter asked, trying to sound casual.

"Of course – Andromeda's in love with him," James said. He patted Peter on the back. "Some things are worth betraying the trust of a loved one."

"Getting pissed is one of them?" Peter asked.

"I'm not betraying her trust," Sirius said, getting unto a chair to open a high cabinet. "She expected me to drink half of it, anyway. You're just trying to get back at me for making that comment about Evans. But if I felt guilty, then you wouldn't be getting pissed tonight, right?"

He passed a bottle to Remus and Remus the Prefect felt like he was holding an Unforgivable. He quickly gave the bottle to Peter, whose eyes widened, and he nearly dropped it.

Only twice before had Peter drank – during a Hogsmeade visit, when Sirius hooked them up with firewhiskey, and at his house last summer when they had broken into his dad's liquor cabinet. His dad had never found out about it, but Peter was always paranoid. James and Sirius always did it with such ease, as though their parents had given them alcoholic drinks since birth. Remus never drank too much, and if he did, he was only tipsy. He never lost control or was too crazy, like James and Sirius, who lost what little self-control they possessed.

Soon, they sat around in the living room, drinking. James and Sirius were singing, all enmity forgotten. "The way I see it . . . it'll be all the sweeter when Evans realizes how much she really loves me," James had said. "I'll have to say _I told you so _every five minutes just so you know how wrong you were."

"You have such nice fantasies," Peter had said, and then had to duck when James threw an empty bottle at him.

Sirius turned on Andromeda's music records and started dancing. He sat on Remus's lap and tried to talk into him into drinking more firewhiskey. "I think I'll stick with my butterbeer," Remus said.

"Come on, if a buzz is all you feel, you haven't got enough!" Sirius exclaimed.

"We are watching a three-year-old girl," Remus replied. "With that in mind, one of us should be at least semi-sober."

"You are no fun," Sirius said, pointing his finger in Remus's face. "Nypmhie is dead asleep."

As if on cue, the four boys heard cries from upstairs. Sirius immediately covered Remus's ears. "Get off me," Remus said, pushing Sirius's hands away and standing up. Sirius stumbled off of Remus's lap, laughing, then looked very offended when Remus started to walk upstairs.

After Nymphadora went back to sleep, Remus returned to his three rowdy friends. Despite how many times he rolled his eyes, he did enjoy himself. James started giving Peter a lap dance, and Sirius wasn't even annoyed when James talked nonstop about a certain redheaded witch. They didn't break anything, unlike past drinking experiences, and James was the first to pass out on the couch, mumbling about green eyes and ink stains.

Remus won the first rock-paper-scissors championship, then he won the second when Sirius wasn't satisfied, and he also won the third. "It's _only _because you're sober," Sirius said, ignoring the fact that Remus always won this pointless game.

Andromeda and Ted came home around midnight, when Remus was the only one still awake. He had already thrown away all of the bottles, righted all the furniture and dressed all of his friends. "Hi, Remus," Ted said kindly. He looked at the other boys; James sprawled across the couch, Peter curled up in a ball in the armchair and Sirius leaning on Remus's shoulder.

"I told you they'd get into the cabinet," Andromeda said quietly. Remus started to wake Sirius up. "Oh, don't worry about it, Remus. The four of you can stay here tonight. Was Nymphadora all right?"

"Yeah," Remus said. "She went to bed at nine. She woke up again about an hour ago, but she said she just had a bad dream."

Andromeda smiled at Remus. "Thanks," she said. "Do you want to stay in one of the spare bedrooms?"

"We're fine on the couches," Remus said. He had already told James's mother that they would be staying here tonight, because he knew Andromeda would offer.

"I was only talking about you," Andromeda said, her smile brightening. She brought out her wand. "Are you sure?"

Remus nodded. She waved her wand and blankets hovered down from upstairs. She covered James and Peter, tucking them in and taking James's glasses off of Peter. She covered Remus and Sirius, also. "Thanks for not breaking anything," Ted told Remus. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Remus replied, shifting into a more comfortable position on the loveseat. Sirius let out a massive snore, flopping unto Remus's chest. The buzz Remus had had for a few hours made it easier for him to fall asleep, despite the numbing pain in his legs from Sirius's weight.

* * *

Lily walked through the barrier separating her two worlds. She entered the platform for The Hogwarts Express, full of noise and movement. She moved out of the way for her parents to come through and began looking around for her friends. Her parents, Edward and Rose, came unto the platform after a moment. It was the first time that they had let Petunia stay home, but not the first time she had wanted to. 

"Oh, I just love coming here," Rose said cheerfully.

Everyone on Platform 9 3/4 bustled around excitedly, students reuniting with their friends and parents hugging their children. There were familiar faces everywhere. Lily felt a rush of excitement to go back to school. "Me, too," she agreed with her mother.

"Now, don't get into any trouble," Edward said.

"You know me," Lily said with a smile.

"Write us, dear, you must," Rose said. "Have a good year - oh, and tell James Potter we said hi."

"Oh, mum, please don't joke," Lily said, rolling her eyes. If James knew she told her parents about him, he would never let her hear the end of it. Never mind the fact that she was complaining about him. Just that he was mentioned would make James eternally happy.

Laughing, Rose put her hand on her shoulder. "No, but really, I want to see him," she said. She began looking around the platform.

"No, don't make it any worse," Lily said quickly.

"Oh, is that him?" Rose asked, on her tiptoes.

Lily looked over in the direction towards where she was looking. Lily had described James's appearance to her mother; messy black hair, tall, glasses, and with the air of all the arrogance in the world. Sure enough, James Potter was standing near his friends, looking around the platform. "Yes, mum, stop looking at him," Lily said.

"He's cute," Rose said.

"No, he's not," Lily and Edward said in unison.

"You don't need to worry about boys," Edward said. "You've got enough trouble with just school."

"Mum, stop!" Lily said as her face grew red.

"Oh, I think he saw me looking at him!" Rose exclaimed, laughing.

Lily moaned in agony, blushing harder. Like his ego needed any help. "Thanks, mum," she said.

"Don't mention it," Rose said, grinning. She pulled her into a hug, ruffling her hair up a little bit. She looked at her watch. "We've got to hurry, dear, we have that open house."

Edward hugged Lily with one of his arms. "We love you," he said.

"Love you, too," Lily said. "See you at Christmas."

"Have a great year," Rose said.

Lily turned her cart and started making her way to the train. She looked over her shoulder and waved at her parents just before they left through the barrier.

She turned around and stopped just before her cart ran into Potter. "Wotcher, Evans," he said. He had that insufferable smirk on his face. Two months wasn't long enough to be away from him.

"Excuse me," she said curtly.

"Need help with your trunk?" James asked. He stooped down and pulled on the handle of her trunk. She stepped forward and helped with the other side, steadying her owl's cage on top of the trunk. The two of them went to the nearest empty compartment, sliding the trunk underneath the seats.

"Thanks," Lily said, straightening down her skirt.

"How was your holiday?" James asked.

"Good," Lily said shortly. "Thanks."

She started to walk past him, but he took hold of her arm. She gave him a look with raised eyebrows. "Er," James said, dropping her arm. "Sorry. . .have you thought about my offer?"

"Yes," Lily said. "Very deeply. For long hours into the night. Excruciating, toiling work went into thinking, and I still won't go out with you. I've got to find the new Head Girl."

"Are you sure –" James began.

"Yes," Lily said.

With that, she left the compartment. She sighed, rolling her eyes. She walked down towards the prefects car, keeping her eye out for Melissa, the new Head Girl. She had only met Melissa a few times, and she was a really nice girl. Lily's roommate Candace worshiped Celestina Warbeck, so she talked to Melissa as often as she could.

In the perfects compartment, only a few people were gathered around. The train was going to leave in a few minutes. Lily looked outside of the window. The platform was clearing. Parents were waving to their children. She saw a few robed men walking around, and she could guess they were Aurors, making sure everything went smoothly. She saw a small girl pass one of them, looking up at him with a confused look on her face.

Lily remembered coming to Hogwarts, thrilled to experience a whole new world. She was eager to learn all she could about the wizarding world. She was sure she had tired out her roommates by the third day. She remembered learning about the war that was going on, too.

_Lily walked out of the Great Hall. She was walking with Mary MacDonald to Gryffindor Tower with the rest of the Gryffindors. Everyone was talking excitedly as they moved towards their dormitories. _

They walked next to a group of Slytherins. Lily saw Severus in the midst of them, but he didn't see her. Lily could already tell Gryffindors didn't like Slytherins, and vice versa. There were plenty of insults dropped during dinner, and now students who had seemed friendly were scowling at people walking next to them. Lily hoped it didn't do anything to her and Severus - he was her only friend so far. Despite what had happened to Petunia, he had helped her in the summer.

"Got lots of Mudbloods this year?" a tall boy asked a Gryffindor boy.

"Don't say that word," the Gryffindor snarled. His friend grabbed him and pulled him away from a fight.

Lily turned to Mary, who had been born into a wizarding family. "What's a Mudblood?" she asked.

Mary's eyes widened, putting her hand on Lily's mouth. "Don't say that!" she exclaimed.

"What is it?" Lily asked, pushing Mary's hand away.

"It's a really, really bad word for someone who's Muggleborn," Mary said.

Lily fell silent, glancing at the tall Slytherin boy. They separated from the Slytherins, walking up a staircase. The portraits greeted them as they passed. Lily stared, her eyes wide. Staircases moved above them. There were knights in armor along one of the corridors. "Careful for the trick step," the older Gryffindors called out. A few younger ones got stuck and had to be pulled out by the arms.

They reached the Fat Lady, and the prefect gave a password. After the portrait swung open, they entered the common room. Lily couldn't believe this would be her home for the next nine months, and then after that, for seven years. It was warm and cozy. She could hardly concentrate as the prefect told them about the rules. It took her an hour to fall asleep that night.

The next morning, Lily got up earlier than the rest of her roommates. She pulled on her Gryffindor robes, beaming as she looked at herself in the mirror. She filled up her book bag with everything she needed, and walked down to The Great Hall with the rest of her roommates because she was afraid she would have gotten lost by herself.

During breakfast, hundreds of owls swooped into The Great Hall, dropping letters and packages to their respective students. A fifth year a few seats away from her got a newspaper. He ignored the front page and turned right to the sports section.

What caught her attention was the main story: 3 MORE WIZARDS KILLED IN LIVERPOOL. Underneath the headline was a picture of a house, its door ajar. Over the house, though, was green smoke in the form of a skull, and through the skull's mouth came a snake. The student passed the newspaper to someone else before Lily could look at it any longer.

"What is that?" Lily asked Debra, motioning to the newspaper.

"It's a newspaper," Debra said.

"No, I mean the green thing," Lily said. "The skull and the snake."

Debra glanced at the newspaper, her face falling. She paused, putting her fork down. She glanced around uncomfortably. "It's the Dark Mark," she said.

"What's that?" Lily pressed on.

"It's Voldemort's mark," Debra said. She cleared her throat. "Voldemort is an evil wizard. He has followers, and they kill people. There's a war going on."

Lily stared at her in response to this news. "A war?" she repeated.

"A war," Debra said firmly. "He kills and tortures people."

"Why?" Lily asked. "What are they fighting over?"

Debra looked at her intently. The prefect across from them stepped into their conversation. "They don't like Muggleborns," he said. "They think all witches and wizards should come from pure families. They don't think we should marry Muggles, either. They want the wizarding bloodline to be pure - without any Muggles."

Lily's face fell. Confused, she asked, "Why?"

The prefect just shrugged. "Not everyone thinks like that, though," he said. "I don't. If anyone gives you dragon dung, tell me."

"What's your name?" Lily asked.

"Caradoc Dearborn," the prefect said proudly. "What's yours?"

"Lily Evans," Lily replied.

"I'm not kidding now," Caradoc said. "If any Slytherin says anything to you, I'll take care of him."

Lily nodded. She glanced over at the Slytherin table. She saw Severus sitting at the end of the table, immersed in his food as some older students talked next to him.

After breakfast, Lily found Severus and pulled him aside before she had to find her way to Transfiguration. "How are you liking it so far?" she asked.

"It's great," Severus said, smiling. He looked better in his robes, and he wore his Slytherin badge proudly. "I haven't met too many people yet, but that's okay. I think Slytherins have Potions with the Gryffindors."

"Oh, yeah," Lily said brightly. "We'll have the same class on Wednesday."

"Yeah," Severus said.

Lily paused. "Severus, you didn't tell me about the war," she said.

Severus looked confused for a moment. "You mean Voldemort?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lily said.

"The war isn't a big deal. Don't worry about it," Severus said. "It only started a few years ago."

"But they don't like Muggleborns," Lily replied. "Debra said they torture and kill them."

"Lily, you're just a kid, they're not going to hurt you," Severus said. "Besides, Hogwarts is the safest place to be. I read in the paper that Dumbledore is the only wizard Voldemort is afraid of."

"Dumbledore?" Lily repeated. The old Headmaster seemed a bit loopy, not like someone an evil wizard would be afraid of.

"Yeah," Severus said. "He's done loads of stuff. Really, don't worry."

Lily nodded quietly. "I should get going," she said. "I want to be early to class."

"All right," Severus said. "Okay, I'll see you later."

Lily walked away. She smiled over her shoulder at Severus, her worries about the war dissolving for a little while. 

Things had changed a lot since then. Lily now knew she should be worrying about the war, which grew worse day by day, and she no longer looked forward to classes she had with Slytherins.

* * *

The next chapter up . . . the beginning of sixth year involves an arrogant Head Boy and a disastrous Slug Club meeting.


	2. The Slug Club

**Title:** Glass Hearts

**Rating:** PG-13

**Spoilers:** All books.

**Genre:** General, Romance, Humor.

**Era:** 1970-1981.

**Main Characters:** MWPP, Lily.

**Ships:** James/Lily, Remus/Marlene McKinnon, Sirius/OC

**Summary (for chapter):** An arrogant Head Boy is in charge this year, and a Slug Club meeting ends with one of the first of many fights between James and Lily.

**A/N:** This is a brand new version of my previous Glass Hearts story (I only posted one chapter before - this one, but this time, I've added things). I have more than 35 chapters already, and I plan on finishing it.

* * *

Remus was grateful that Lily had saved him a seat and he wouldn't have to sit next to someone he didn't know or didn't like or someone who didn't like him. Lily's long dark red hair fell down her shoulders and she was chewing on a quill thoughtfully, looking at the new Head Boy and Head Girl.

Head Boy was Bertram Aubrey, a boy even Remus thought had a head much too big for his body. Head Girl, Melissa Warbeck, was a soft-spoken, timid Hufflepuff. The match couldn't be more off. "All right," Aubrey said. He stood up and shut the compartment door. "Let is get down to business. I do not want any fooling around during this meeting, but I suspect we will not have any of that, as we are all prefects. Melissa, take role."

"Role?" Talia Deradt, a seventh year prefect asked. "Can't you just look around and see if we're all here?"

"No," Aubrey said shortly. "Melissa, hurry up."

Melissa looked down at a sheet of parchment on top of a clipboard. "Bertram Aubrey?" she called.

"Here," Aubrey said. "I'm 7th year, Ravenclaw."

"Regulus Black?" she said quietly.

"Here," Sirius's younger brother said from his corner of the compartment.

"When she calls your name, please state your year and house," Aubrey said loudly before Melissa could continue.

"5th year, Slytherin," Regulus said dryly. He looked, talked and acted like Sirius. Remus was usually very disturbed by the likeness.

"Talia Deradt?" Melissa said.

"Here, 7th year, Ravenclaw," Talia said, smacking on her gum.

"Lily Evans?"

At the end, Melissa called, "Melissa Warbeck? That's me. I'm here, obviously. 7th year, Hufflepuff."

After she finished, Aubrey lost no time in his lecture. "All right, I'm Head Boy this year, as you all know," he said. "This year will not be like previous years. I expect only the best of you all. There will be tighter rules about curfew, about magic in the corridors, about fooling around in class. If any of you fail to enforce these rules, I will talk with you personally, and then I'll go to the Headmaster. It is your responsibility as prefects to keep your fellow students in line and under control. If you fail to do this, you are failing me, Melissa, the other prefects, the – well, in short, everyone. I will not tolerate any horseplay, even if it is from my own house. You must learn this and learn it quickly – your responsibility as a prefect comes before any relations you have, be it siblings, best friends or boyfriends –" He looked at Regulus, Remus and Lily respectively.

"Boyfriends?" Lily thundered.

"I was very disappointed to find out that last year during the incident in the field with a few lovely Gryffindor pranksters and Severus Snape, both of the Gryffindor prefects were present and did nothing from stopping it!" Aubrey exclaimed.

"They did, too," Liam Gertram objected. "That's why none of us had a view of what was under Snape's underpants." A few people snickered.

"It should have been stopped before that," Aubrey said, looking livid. "If anything as horrible as that happens again, the prefects that did nothing to stop such a thing would be taken from their prefect post!"

"You can't do that," Jonathon Smith argued.

"Yes, I can," Aubrey said.

He continued on for about thirty minutes, pointing out everything that previous Head Boys and Girls had done wrong and how he intended to correct them, never once mentioning Melissa. He had multitudes of notes on his clipboard and they seemed never-ending. He went over proper ways of punishment, and the chain of command. Every time Talia blew a bubble, he tensed and at last he yelled at her, "If you pop a bubble one more time, I will make gum not allowed on the Hogwarts Express!"

"Aubrey, we've really been going at this for a long time," Melissa said. Aubrey looked at her, surprised. She looked across the compartment. "You've all been real patient. Hopefully we'll be able to improve from last year and years before that. Fifth years will be on patrol until lunch, then sixth years until four and then seventh years until we get to Hogwarts. Have a nice train ride."

As people started to get up, looking relieved, Aubrey stared at them all in horror. He looked at Melissa, looking as though he couldn't decide whether to be angry or admiring. All of the prefects left with a new sense of respect for Melissa.

* * *

Despite how well Melissa quieted Bertram Aubrey's big mouth, however, she was not always present. Whenever Aubrey saw a prefect slacking on his or her duty, he would yell up a storm, taking points away from the delinquent student foolish enough to disturb his peace and from the house of the nearest prefect. Unfortunately for the students at Hogwarts, everything you did in the corridors was breaking the rules. Giggling too loudly, holding hands, hugging, swearing, having a book bag that could be considered a weapon . . . you name it, and Aubrey could probably find a problem with it.

"I'd like to use my book bag as a weapon," Mary MacDonald scowled, "on his big fat head."

Mary was a sixth year Gryffindor, one of Lily's roommates. She was not very nice; she always spoke her mind. But people liked her because she was fun to be around. Her dad had been a famous Quidditch player on the Falmouth Falcons, and she did Quidditch commentary. She had lots of different friends, and jumped from group to group; person to person. Although she was very flighty, Lily liked her.

"Something needs to be done about him," Lily said as they walked to lunch. It was the third week of school, and Lily was tired of Bertram already. "The last prefect meeting lasted for two hours. Melissa, thank gods for her, finally wrapped it up. I'm really beginning to like her."

"You say she's the only one who can shut him up?" Mary asked. "Maybe we should all have a flask of Polyjuice Potion ready so we can bail our friends out."

"If only it weren't illegal," Lily said. "I would start brewing it right away."

They turned a corner and walked into Professor Slughorn, who was talking with James Potter. Before Lily could make an escape, Slughorn caught her. "Ah, Miss Evans!" he exclaimed. James turned, a delighted look on his face. "It's been so long since we've last talked!"

"Three days," Lily said fairly. To her horror, she realized that James, Sirius, and Remus had been the only Gryffindors in her Advanced Potions class, and the only people she knew in the least bit. She had sat next to Giles Stone over the last few days, trying to ignore James and Sirius berating Severus as much as she could. It was a challenging class so far, and Lily was satisfied to see that for once Sirius and James had to put some effort into a class to receive good marks.

"So long!" Slughorn reemphasized. "Well, I was just inviting James to our next little meeting."

Lily avoided James's eyes. She used to like the Slug Club meeting, getting to know new people and hearing Slughorn's stories, but it was getting old.

"Our next party will be on Saturday," Slughorn continued. "I was thinking of a nice lunch or something."

"That sounds really nice," Lily said, nodding. She glanced around, and noticed Mary had left her. "Oh, professor, I've got to go, my friend's just left."

"Two o'clock at the usual place!" Slughorn called after her.

Lily waved at him over her shoulder and saw James following her. "So, what exactly are these parties like?" James asked, walking quickly to catch up with her. "I've heard a lot about them from Sirius. You know, I don't think he's been invited to this one yet."

"Is that the only time you two were ever apart?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows. "When Sirius is at his parties?"

"No," James said. He stuck his hands in his pockets. "There are plenty of things we do apart. . . " he trailed off, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Like. . . "

Lily let out a small laugh. "You can't think of anything," she said. The two of them walked into the Great Hall. Lily saw Mary saving a seat for her at the Gryffindor table.

"Yeah, I swear there's lots of stuff. . . " James said fervently. "I'll tell you when I think of one."

"I can't wait," Lily said dryly, walking ahead and leaving James with his friends. Tossing her red hair off of her shoulder, she sat down next to Mary. "Thanks for leaving me with James and Slughorn."

"Anytime," Mary said dismissively. "Oi, Bernard, pass the potatoes!" Once her plate was half-full of potatoes, she looked at Lily. "So, Potter's still hitting on you?"

"Yes," Lily said, dishing up some roast beef. "I was hoping over the summer he would have gotten over it, but apparently not."

"He's in Advanced Potions, yeah?" Mary asked.

"Yeah, but he's not too bad in that class," Lily replied. "There's only three to a table, and I sit with Giles Stone, you know, the Hufflepuff. I mean, a few comments every now and then, but he's too busy being a jerk to Snape."

"So, the two of you aren't on a first-name basis anymore?" Mary questioned.

Lily rolled her eyes. Why did everyone care about her friendship with Severus? Well, she knew why. He wanted to become a Death Eater, and she was a Muggleborn. "Not really," she said shortly.

Mary looked at her as though she wanted to hear more, but Lily left it at that. All the Gryffindors in her year knew what he had called her that day of the Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL; they all had been there. There had been an awkward silence in their dorm room when the girls had come in on Lily sniffling into her pillow. She didn't want to talk about it.

There was a commotion farther down the table. Bertram Aubrey was yelling, yet again. James and Sirius both stood up and took out their wands. Lily sighed, looking around to see if any other prefects were going to do anything. "I'll be back," she told Mary.

She walked over to the boys as Bertram sputtered about the outrage of two boys having their wands pointed at the Head Boy. "Is this really necessary?" she asked in cold tone.

"Sod off, Evans," Sirius exclaimed.

"Twenty - no, thirty points from Gryffindor!" Aubrey squealed. He eyed their wands suspiciously, having seen one too many spells from the rambunctious boys.

"Aubrey, calm down," Lily said.

"Evans, you have done a horrible job at being a prefect!" Aubrey exclaimed. "I suspect I could get your post taken away."

"Don't talk to her like that!" James exclaimed.

Professor Flitwick reached them. He looked around sternly. "Boys, put those wands down," he said.

Sirius and James grudgingly obeyed. "You know there's no dueling on grounds," Flitwick said. "What's this all about?"

Aubrey pointed at Remus. "He's not doing his prefect duties!" he exclaimed. "His friend spilled pumpkin juice - and -"

"Come," Flitwick said, taking Aubrey's arm. "Let's go talk about what it really means to be Head Boy." Melissa watched after them worriedly. She glanced around, then made her way back to the Hufflepuff table.

Sirius turned to Lily. "How about next time you keep your nose out of other people's business?" he snarled.

Lily shot him a look of anger. "I was trying to help!" she exclaimed.

"That git deserves to be hexed," Sirius said.

Lily glared at him, lost for words. She glanced at Remus, but he was looking down at his plate. "You can't just go hexing people, Sirius," she said. "We're at school, and there are _rules_."

Sirius sat down. "And we follow the rules," he said. Lily opened her mouth, but he waved his hand at her. "Just try not to spoil _everything_, okay?"

Her face aflame, Lily stomped back to her seat. Spoil everything? Sure, he had to make her look like the spoilsport, like she was wrong, when she was a prefect. Normal people didn't just hex everyone who annoyed them or insulted their friends, couldn't they see that? How old were they, anyway?

* * *

In Advanced Potions, Remus marveled at the outrageous hormones of sixteen year olds. For a moment, he wished he was thirty years old, far away from a depressed James Potter, an angry Sirius Black and a moody Lily Evans. Maybe it was only Gryffindors. Perhaps he should have asked the Sorting Hat to be Sorted into Ravenclaw. Then he'd be sitting with Kingsley Shacklebolt and Rupert Harris.

They were brewing a Euphoria potion, but it didn't seem to be going very well for any of the Gryffindors. James's potion was a murky gray, Sirius's was boiling beetles and Lily's was an angry red, almost the color of her hair. Remus's own potion seemed to be doing all right, except for the alarming amount of steam coming from his cauldron. It was filling up his table and Sirius batted the steam away with his hand every few seconds, cursing under his breath.

Finally, he turned on Remus and said angrily, "Bloody hell, Remus, what the hell did you do to your potion to make it like this? I can't see a bloody thing."

"I don't know," Remus said grudgingly. "I suppose I could have put too many beetles in there –"

"Well, take them out, you prat," Sirius said. "How are we supposed to do anything with your steam all over the place?"

Slughorn bustled over to their table. "Ah, this is a common mishap for the Euphoria Potion," he said to Remus. "You've stirred it clockwise too many times. If you stir it counter-clockwise a few times, it'll slow down. Mr. Snape gave me that piece of advice."

This last bit seemed to only anger Sirius more, even if it did mean he no longer had steam clouding his vision. He looked back at Snape viciously, whose potion seemed to be far along in the process as the Slytherin wrote in his book, as he had done for the last three weeks.

By the end of the class, Snape and Remus were the only ones who had managed the potion, though Lily Evans, Helen Snortian and Rupert Harris were close to finishing.

"Well, this day wasn't our best," Slughorn said at the front of the class. "But, that's all right! Nice job, Snape and Lupin. See you all next class – no homework!"

The class started to clear out. James looked like he had just had the most miserable day of his life as he watched Lily leave the class. As soon as they were out of the classroom, Sirius went straight for Snape.

"Hey, Snape," Sirius called, catching up to the Slytherin. "How is it that you've always got everything perfect in Potions?"

Snape cast Sirius a vicious glare, drawing his wand. "It's called studying, perhaps you should try it," he said.

Sirius drew his wand as well. "I reckon you're cheating," he said.

"Sirius, come on," Remus groaned. He was not looking forward to another lecture from Aubrey if he heard about this.

"You, shut up," Sirius snapped.

"Is this because that Mudblood spoiled your fun?" Severus asked in a low voice.

"Don't you –" James began.

"_Tantellegra_!" Sirius yelled. Boils started growing on Snape's sallow skin and he hurled a leg-locker curse at Sirius. Sirius's legs locked together and he fell to his face on the ground. James joined in, cursing Snape with Jelly Legs.

"Oh, bloody hell," Remus said. He took out his wand, but before he could mutter the counter-curses, Snape had cursed him as well with a fungus charm.

Slughorn came bustling out of his classroom at the noise. He gave them all detention and took points away from Gryffindor and Slytherin. Remus thought about telling Slughorn that he hadn't done anything, but he didn't know if he would survive Sirius's wrath, so he accepted the Saturday night detention.

* * *

James examined himself in the mirror. Hair sticking up in the back. Slightly messy button-up shirt. Glasses no longer crooked from wrestling with Sirius. He looked at the clock. He had two minutes to get down to the dungeons for the party Professor Slughorn had invited him to.

He jogged out of his dorms, Sirius making fun of him as he left. He ran down to the dungeons. He didn't mind being fashionably late, but he did want Slughorn to invite him back.

After knocking twice, James pushed open the door to a crowded office with ten or so students. "Nice of you to join us, Potter," Slughorn said, winking. He was passing around a platter of sandwiches. "Welcome to the Slug Club."

James sat in the only free spot; in between Evan Rosier, whom he detested, and a 4th year Ravenclaw. He took a turkey sandwich, then passed the tray to Rosier.

Lily had ignored sixth year Gryffindor boys since Sirius had gone off on her for interfering when they had their wands at Aubrey, and James had decided he'd much rather have Lily yelling or making sarcastic comments at him than pretending he didn't exist. Her red hair was up in a fancy bun-type thing and she was wearing weekend clothes.

Next to her sat Marlene McKinnon. Marlene had made the Quidditch team two weeks ago; she was their new Chaser. James could understand why Slughorn had invited her. Marlene's dad was a famous Auror, and her mum worked for the Magical Law Enforcement Department. Her two older brothers were Aurors as well. James was friends with Marlene mainly for that reason. He figured she could put a good word in for him.

There were a few other students James knew, although he was sure they all knew him. Melissa Warbeck, Regulus, and the rest were younger. Slughorn told stories about all the people he knew as they ate their sandwiches. He took out some butterbeer, passing it around, and they drank while they talked. It was actually quite fun. Sirius usually made them sound like no big deal, but he made everything sound like no big deal.

Lily still ignored him the entire hour, managing a feat which was lost on James. She didn't laugh at his jokes while everyone else did or look at him at all. James asked her a question about Muggle school, but she didn't acknowledge him. Rosier snickered next to him.

After Professor Slughorn let them out, James caught up with Lily, pleased to see she was walking alone. "Hey, Evans," he said.

She continued walking. He grabbed her elbow, saying, "Hey, Lily."

Lily jerked away from him. "What?" she snapped.

"You didn't answer my question," James said.

"What question?" Lily asked. She stopped walking and crossed her arms. That was never a good sign. Crossing her arms meant she was listening, but only out of pity or courtesy or perhaps because it meant she had the opportunity to hex him after he said something stupid.

"About your sister's school," James replied. "I was just wondering how Muggle school worked."

Lily rolled her eyes. "It's really none of your business," she said.

"I was just curious," James said incredulously.

"Take Muggle Studies," Lily snapped.

There was a moment of silence as James stared at her and she glared right back. "Take Muggle Studies just so I can know the answer to a question you could easily answer," James said. "I'm hearing this correctly, right?"

Lily let out an exasperated noise. "I have better things to do than this," she said. She started walking.

James threw his arms up in frustration. "What is your problem?" he called after her.

Lily whipped around, her hair nearly falling out of her bun. "You!" she exclaimed. "You just went off on me the other day -"

"That was Sirius!" James exclaimed.

"You didn't stick up for me!" Lily yelled. "You're always begging me to go out with you - Evans, Evans, I'm not that bad - but you don't have any respect for me!"

James, genuinely confused about why she was angry, threw his arms up again. "What?" he asked. "Why do you think that?"

"Your _best_ friend made me look like an idiot in front of all of those people!" Lily said angrily. She looked on the verge of tears. "You think I don't know Aubrey deserves to get hexed? I was saving your neck - and Gryffindor points! He doesn't have to treat people like that! You never do anything! He thinks he's so much more important than other people, just because he's a Black, but he hates Slytherins for doing the same thing."

"Slytherins are pureblood-fanatics," James said. "They're into Dark Magic. Sirius would never do that!"

"Why does he hate Snape so much?" Lily asked. "He's never done anything to you!"

"Yes, he has!" James yelled. "He's always trying to get us expelled! Why are you always sticking up for him, anyways? He hates us, and he has no reason to!"

"No reason to?" Lily repeated. "You two are the most arrogant prats I've ever met. You think you own this place - I feel sorry for Remus and Peter, the two of them just get dragged along with every stupid thing you do -"

"They do not! They're our _friends_!" James yelled. Lily Evans may have been the love of his love, but not the Marauders. No one messed with them. Ever.

Lily let out a mirthless laugh. "Right!" she exclaimed. "Remus is a prefect, I can tell he _hates_ being with you -"

James glared at her. "We're his best friends!" he said. He know he had already said something similar, but it seemed important to get across to her.

"You're always getting him into trouble! You've given him a reputation."

"Did you hear this from him? Did he tell you this? Because if he didn't say that he hates being with us, then you need to just shut your mouth. You have no idea what you're talking about! You have no idea what we've done for Remus. You have no idea, Lily. Maybe Sirius was right, maybe you should stay out of other people's business. You don't know Remus at all -"

"I don't know Remus at all? I'm a prefect with him, he's the only decent one of you lot! I'm friends with him, I don't know how he can put up with the three of you – even Peter, who follows the two of you around like there's no one else who exists – he _idolizes_ you and you just push him around like he's nobody!"

James was almost too angry for words. He clenched his fists and let out a cry of frustration. "Evans, if you weren't a girl and if you weren't. . .I would hex you right now," he said.

"Is that a threat?" Lily asked.

"No, it's a fact," James said. "You don't know anything about us - you can't stand being around us, and yet you say all this stuff like you - like you're some Marauders-expert. I. . .am so. . .pissed right now. I'm leaving."

Lily stared at him, still angry. James paused, then turned and began to walk away. He could feel Lily's eyes on him. What did she know? She didn't know how many hours it had taken studying Human Transfiguration. She didn't know how many sleepless night had gone into conquering Animagus powers. She had no idea what they did every month, risking their lives to be with their friend. She didn't know how they had hexed Rosier into oblivion for insulting Peter. She didn't know a bloody thing.

As James jogged to the Quidditch pitch for a fly to get his aggression out, he realized this was the first time he had walked away from Lily Evans.

* * *

The next chapter up . . . Sirius has a few unexciting adventures, hormones continue to rage, but in the end, someone apologizes. 


	3. The Adventures of Sirius Black

**Title:** Glass Hearts

**Rating:** PG-13

**Spoilers:** All books.

**Genre:** General, Romance, Humor.

**Era:** 1970-1981.

**Main Characters:** MWPP, Lily.

**Ships:** James/Lily, Remus/Marlene McKinnon, Sirius/OC

**Summary (for chapter):** Sirius has a new fling. We see some of what's going on outside of Hogwarts. Someone apologizes for the last blow out.

* * *

Sirius was on his bed working on the Marauders Map when James stomped into the dormitory. He was sweating a bit, and his hair stuck straight up, indicating he had been flying. "Have a nice party?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," James said, taking off his shirt. "And then Evans went off of me afterwards."

"Not again," Sirius said nonchalantly.

"She's pissed at you, you know," James snapped. "She's not talking to any of us because you yelled at her."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "When did I yell at her?" he asked.

James grabbed a change of clothes, giving him a nasty look. Like all of Evans' stupid mood swings were Sirius's fault, and he could have done something to prevent her from being such a. . .a _girl._ "In the Great Hall about Aubrey," he said.

It took a moment to register in Sirius's mind. "I didn't yell at her," he said coolly. "I told her to stay out of our business."

"Well, I would agree with you," James said. He went into the bathroom, shutting the door.

"You're an emotional wreck," Sirius called after him.

This was why he never got serious with girls. Too many sleepless nights, too many arguments, too much work. He had snogged Jewel Mufflet the other day, but he had a feeling she only liked him because of the incident this summer when her and Juniper had walked in on him while he was stark naked in James's room. Life was too short to fall in love.

His concentration on the map broken, Sirius shoved it under his bed and grabbed his shoes. Remus was studying somewhere, and Peter was snoring loudly. That boy slept like a rock. Sirius left the dorms, in search of something to do. Maybe he would ruin Remus's day. Maybe he would find Jewel again.

A few people were scattered around the common room. Marlene McKinnon was reading the paper. Sirius walked over to her. "Anything not horribly depressing today?" he asked.

Marlene looked up, looking slightly surprised as he sat next to her. "Not really," she said. "The Minister just announced he's going to resign."

"_What_?" Sirius asked. He took the paper from her. There was a picture of Hansen Fredericks standing behind a pulpit, looking nervous. "That stupid idiot."

"He says that the war is taking a tremendous toll on his family life," Marlene said, "and he's moving to Bora Bora."

"Where is _that_?" Sirius asked.

"Beats me," Marlene said with a shrug.

Sirius shook his head. "It won't be long before You-Know-Who has control over the Ministry," he said.

"Or before the Ministry has no control at all," Marlene said.

The two of them sat in silence for a moment. They had both grown up in this war. Sirius knew how many times her dad came near death. He and James idolized her dad, and her older brothers had been wicked cool. Sirius's family, on the other hand, was on the other side of the war. He had no doubt that Bellatrix was following You-Know-Who, and Narcissa would be soon with that rat of a husband Lucius. He sighed as he thought of their hideous wedding he had been forced to go to this summer. That had been the last straw, he left that afternoon while his mother screamed and raged and Regulus watched quietly.

"My dad says they're losing credibility," Marlene said. "He doesn't like to talk about the war much. I think he just wants me to enjoy life. But anyways, he says that the Aurors don't have access to as many places as they did before. They're losing respect."

"It's because of dunderheads like Fredericks," Sirius said. "Maybe Dumbledore should become Minister of Magic."

"And then Hogwarts would be open for You-Know-Who," Marlene stated. "He's the only one keeping us safe."

Sirius paused, considering this, and decided it was probably true. You-Know-Who had broken through most of the wards in the wizarding world; he might be able to break through Hogwarts's as well, even though they were Dumbledore's. He probably relished in the thought of brainwashing children from the time that they were eleven and weeding out those he didn't think were worthy enough to learn magic. Like Evans. And Remus. But You-Know-Who feared Dumbledore, for some reason.

Sirius stood up, passing her newspaper back to her. "See you later," he said.

"Bye," Marlene said.

He walked out of the common room. He went down the corridors, thinking about the war. He and James were taking classes to be Aurors, along with Kingsley Shacklebolt, Frank Longbottom, and a handful of other students. It was the only way he could picture himself helping. His family would go into conniption fits once he was announced in the _Daily Prophet_ as accepted trainees, but that pleased him more than it should.

Sirius thought about Regulus, and wondered where his brother was going. He was hanging around with Snape and Avery more often. The whole lot of Slytherins were evil gits. Sirius didn't want his brother around them at all, but Regulus didn't listen to Sirius. They never talked, anyway. On the train Sirius had congratulated him on becoming a prefect and told him not to go nazi on him, but since then they hadn't had a normal conversation. They used to argue good-heartedly about Quidditch, and Sirius would give Regulus pointers, but not this year.

Deep in his thought, Sirius didn't realize he was walking into the line of fire. Too late did he see Violet Moss approaching him. He swore silently as she smiled at him. "Hi, Sirius," she said.

"Hey, Vi," Sirius said.

Violet flipped her blonde locks off of her shoulder. "Are you going to go with me to the first Hogsmeade trip?" she asked, batting her eyes at him.

"I'm afraid not," Sirius said. "I'm already taking someone else."

"Who?" Violet asked, hiding her jealousy horribly.

"You'll just have to find out," Sirius said. As he said this, he tried to think of who he could ask. Jewel - it would be common courtesy. Maybe Candace. She wasn't looking so bad.

Violet looked annoyed, then shrugged. "That's cool," she said. "I'll see you around."

Was he seriously that lucky? Sirius nodded. "Yeah, bye," he said. He made his escape while she let him, darting down the hall towards the library. If there was any place Violet Moss was never seen, it was the library.

He found Remus in the back, studying Transfiguration. "Hey, Moony," he said, sliding into the open seat next to Remus.

Remus nodded at him, not looking up from his homework.

"Aren't you going to entertain me?" Sirius asked.

"I have to finish this essay," Remus said.

"Why does the world hate me?" Sirius muttered.

Remus didn't respond. Sirius got up and started strolling the aisles for Quidditch magazines. He found Jewel in the Astronomy area. He walked up behind her and whispered into her ear, "Hey."

Jewel nearly jumped out of her skin. "Oh, my god," she said, elbowing him in the stomach. "You scared me half to death."

Sirius laughed, rubbing his stomach. "Sorry," he said. "What are you doing right now?"

"Trying to find something on Mars," Jewel said.

Sirius paused. He considered asking her if she wanted to snog, but then decided he had more tact than that. "Mars, huh?" he said, turning to the shelf.

A few hours later, he met his friends at dinner. "How's everyone been?" he asked.

James still looked upset; he was stirring his pumpkin juice into his soup. Remus shrugged. "I finished my essay," he said. "Thank you for leaving me alone."

"No problem," Sirius said.

Peter pulled a blonde hair off of Sirius's collar. "How was your afternoon?" he asked, looking pointedly at the hair.

"Splendid," Sirius said, pulling the lambchops towards him.

* * *

No matter how much James may have hated Lily Evans that day, her ignorance of the strongest relationships James had ever had did nothing for the feelings he had for her. Over the next few days, he tried to ignore her. He wouldn't look at her, or make jokes in her presence; he tried the silent treatment as she had treated him with. Needless to say, it did nothing. He still noticed her flash of red hair in the corridors, heard her laugh during meals and watched her do homework in the common room.

James vaguely wondered if there was something immensely wrong with him. He always knew he was a bit obsessive, but he never knew just how much he noticed about Lily Evans. Perhaps Sirius was slipping his love potions daily. He watched his best friend daily, keeping his goblet to himself, but there was no suspicious activity. He also kept his food to himself, despite the nagging voice in the back of his head calling him paranoid.

He first saw the notice for the first Hogsmeade trip when Sirius and he were getting back from their first Quidditch practice. They had a pretty solid team this year. "Are you going to try asking Evans again, mate?" Sirius asked, smirking at James.

"Shove off," James said, shrugging Sirius's arm off of his shoulders.

"You never know," Sirius said in a sing-song voice. He started mussing up James's hair and James pushed him off again as they went through the portrait hole. Sirius fell back into a third year, laughing. He took no notice at the third year girl who stared at him in admiration and continued to tease James. "The two of you could go to Madam Puddifoot's and laugh the day away . . . "

* * *

Remus sat in the library on a Monday afternoon, a week after James's first Slug Club meeting. Remus had noticed his friend struggling between hating Lily for whatever she had said and treating her how he had always treated her. He had pretended to be blissfully ignorant, and so far, it was working rather well. He had more important things to worry about; NEWT-level classes that he needed to pass, for instance.

"Hi, Remus," Lily said, setting her bookbag down. "Can I sit here?"

"Go ahead," Remus said.

Lily took the empty seat on the other side of Remus. She glanced around. "Remus. . ." she trailed off. "I have to tell you something."

Remus looked up at Lily. "Yes?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know if Potter mentioned it at all," Lily said. Remus tried not to show his disappointment; he just couldn't escape it, could he? She cleared her throat. "Last week, we got into an argument. I don't know how it even began. . .oh, I was saying that Sirius is a jerk to everyone and James doesn't do anything about it. Then I was saying that Sev - Snape - he had a reason to hate them, and then. . .then I started yelling about you and Peter. It was so stupid, really."

She stopped for a moment. Remus was unsure of what to say; was that all?

Before the silence stretched into anything awkward, Lily continued, "I started telling James that I could tell you hated being with them and that they always got you into trouble and they just drag you around and - I just - god, please don't tell James, but I'm sorry." She finally met his eyes. "I'm sorry I said those things about you. I have no idea what your friendship is like."

She fell silent, and she looked like she had just gotten a huge load off of her shoulders. "Oh," Remus said. "Well. Um. Don't worry about it. James probably didn't take you seriously."

"He was really angry," Lily said, playing with a quill. "He hasn't talked to me much, either. I mean, it's kind of nice, but I don't want him to think that you told me those things or anything."

"But you don't want to apologize to him?" Remus suggested.

"Gods no," Lily said. "I hate apologizing to Potter."

Remus laughed. "It's because he's so smug when you do it," he said.

"Yeah!" Lily exclaimed. "It would be admitting that I was wrong. I just. . .why do they have to act like they rule the school? Why do they have to be arses about everything?"

Remus had wondered something along those lines - he loved his friends, but they were a bit. . .egotistical. He shrugged. "They're just stupid," he said. "They're just teenage boys."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Everyone tries to use that excuse," she said. "You're a teenage boy and you're not completely insufferable."

"I'm a special exception," Remus said shortly.

Lily laughed. "I think so," she agreed with him. She leaned back in her chair and took her hair down. Remus could understand why Lily's hair was James's favorite. It was long and thick and had the color of wine. He looked away, feeling guilty for a moment. Well, Lily was just a friend. After last year when they had been prefects together, they had gotten to know each other.

"Maybe I should apologize to him," Lily said.

Remus heard James's voice, followed by Madam Pince's usual hiss. James and Sirius came into sight a moment later, the two of them showered after their Quidditch practice. James stopped walking for a moment when he saw Lily sitting with Remus, but then joined the table.

"Good practice?" Remus asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said. "Brendell's a bit of a prat."

"He's got a brain smaller than the Snitch," James added.

"Potter," Lily said.

James looked at Lily, a suspicious look on his face.

"Sorry about last week," she said lightly. "It's really, as Sirius would say, none of my business."

There was a moment of silence. Sirius looked at Lily with his eyebrows raised. "Oh," James finally said, closing his mouth. "Whatever."

"Good," Lily said. She reached for her bookbag.

"Hey, are you going to Hogsmeade in two weeks?" James asked.

"Not with you," Lily said, smiling.

"Right," James said, as though that were obvious.

Lily stood up. "See you guys in Potions tomorrow," she said, waving as she left.

There was another moment of silence as the three boys pondered over what had just happened. "I don't think Lily Evans has ever apologized to me," James said.

"That's because you're the one who usually screws up," Sirius stated.

* * *

When the Hogsmeade trip came around, Sirius was going with Jewel Mufflet, his latest attachment, and Lily still hadn't changed her mind. Sirius doubted she ever would. James was going with Remus and Peter, which wasn't too much of a change.

Jewel and Sirius sat outside of an ice cream shop, sharing a shake. It was chilly and windy, but Jewel had insisted that she wanted a shake.

"Girls keep asking me if you're a good kisser," Jewel said, stirring the strawberry shake around.

"What do you tell them?" Sirius asked.

"The truth," Jewel replied. She smirked at him. "That you are. They ask me other things, too – how big you are down under, if you taste good, what your hands are like. And things not about your body, like if you're nice or funny or charming."

"What do you tell them?" Sirius asked.

"Honestly, I think your ego's big enough already."

"Not nearly enough," Sirius replied. He glanced at the shake. "Are you done with that yet?"

"Yeah," Jewel said, smiling at Sirius. "I've had my fix. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sirius said. He stood up, holding his hand out for her. "Let's go somewhere."

"Good idea," Jewel said, standing up. Sirius left a few sickles at the table, including a tip.

Over the next few weeks, Sirius realized that Jewel Mufflet was unlike any other girl he had met. She had short blonde hair, dark brown eyes and a downtown London accent. She was a half-blood, so Sirius was sure that if his mother caught wind of it, she would disown him even more than she already had. She did amazing things with her tongue and unlike most of the obsessive, clingy girls at Hogwarts, she didn't really care about much involving Sirius. She hadn't memorized his schedule, didn't come to talk to him during every meal or wait for him by Gryffindor Tower. She knew nothing about Quidditch except that Beaters hit Bludgers and the Seeker caught the Snitch. He had never really noticed her before; she blended into the crowd until you got to know her.

James teased him about how much time he spent with her, but, compared to his last girlfriends, Sirius spent barely any time with her. They snogged every now and then during the week, and hung out maybe twice during the weekend. Sometimes they passed notes along in the corridors, but Violet Moss asked Sirius why he spent so little time with his girlfriend with a pouty look on her face. Sirius left as soon as he could.

Aside from Jewel Mufflet, sixth year was the usual. James was still obsessed with Lily Evans, Remus had read twenty-three books already and Peter had worked his flobberworm collection up to thirty. Sirius had put all of them in James's trunk, and, being blind when not wearing his glasses, James didn't notice the worms until breakfast. Peter and James had dealt out swift punishment, though the former was cursing Sirius with Jelly Legs because now he only had twenty-one flobberworms.

Aubrey had calmed down, but he was still a prat. Regulus was a shining prefect, and showed Slytherin prejudice in most cases. The exception was if his older brother was involved, then he didn't care what happened. Aubrey had taken points from Slytherin for this behavior, but it didn't change anything. Melissa Warbeck still showed remarkable control over the big-headed Ravenclaw. Sirius marveled at the control females had over males. Evans and Prongs, for instance. Warbeck and Aubrey. And, sometimes, Jewel and Sirius. But only sometimes.

* * *

Coming up soon. . .Regulus makes an appearance! We also see Marlene McKinnon a bit more, and she's yelling at Sirius most of the time for something stupid he did. James punches someone, and then Sirius's favorite day of the year comes around. . .his birthday! 


	4. Quidditch Is In The Air

**Title:** Glass Hearts

**Rating:** PG-13

**Spoilers:** All books.

**Genre:** General, Romance, Humor.

**Era:** 1970-1981.

**Main Characters:** MWPP, Lily.

**Ships:** James/Lily, Remus/Marlene McKinnon, Sirius/OC

**Summary (for chapter):** With the upcoming Quidditch game, there is, as usual, tension in the corridors. We see Regulus Black for the first time. There's more teenage hormonal problems when Sirius insults Lily, and James actually defends her honor.

* * *

If there was one thing Regulus hated about being in Slytherin, it was the competition between his house and Gryffindor. It didn't work out great that his brother was in Gryffindor, or that they were on opposing teams. It really didn't help that they weren't on the best terms, either. Sure, they talked every now and then. But that didn't mean much.

The November Quidditch matches were coming up, meaning Gryffindor and Slytherin were in constant opposition with each other. He could hardly walk the halls without someone booing. They were practicing two nights of the week and for three hours on Saturday.

A few days before the match, he was standing around with a few Slytherins after lunch. He saw Sirius approaching them, the Pettigrew boy trailing behind him, and Regulus knew there wouldn't be good results. He stayed silent, but Rosier stepped forward. "Ready for the game, Black?" he drawled.

"Of course," Sirius said with a smirk. He kept walking, and Pettigrew watched them warily.

"Does your fat friend have something to say?" Rosier asked.

"Maybe if your ugly friend does," Sirius said, motioning to Wilkes.

"You think you're funny," Rosier snapped.

"Just about as funny as you are," Sirius said, walking by them.

Rosier drew his wand. He always went looking for a fight. "Well, let's see how funny you'll be in a moment," he said.

Sirius turned around slowly. Pettigrew drew his wand, chewing on his bottom lip. Wilkes and Avery joined Rosier. Sirius half-glanced at Regulus, who watched with his arms crossed. He was badly outnumbered; Pettigrew counted for half a person. Sirius whipped out his wand, hexing Rosier with a slug-vomiting spell. He bent over unto his knees, spitting the creatures out of his mouth. Sirius dodged a jet of purple light and shot a confundus charm on Wilkes. Avery hurled a Conjunctivitis Curse at him. In defense, Sirius yelled, "_Protego_!"

Wilkes stood there, blinking stupidly. Avery tried to put a countercurse on Rosier, but it only seemed to get worse. Sirius rubbed his eyes, and Pettigrew looked around, at a loss as to what to do.

"Okay, cut it out," Regulus told Avery.

As soon as the Shield Charm had worn off, Sirius shot an Impediment Curse at Avery. "Good lord," he said, pocketing his wand. He nodded at Regulus and then started to leave.

Regulus glanced at the Slytherins, then followed Sirius. "That was pretty nice," he said. "They're going to kill you."

"Right," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "They're idiots; that was three against one."

_And they want to be Death Eaters,_ Regulus thought. He pushed the thought out of his mind. "You are going to lose on Saturday," he said.

"Whatever," Sirius said with a smirk on his face. "Tell your friend he'll stop vomiting in half an hour or so. Unless he can figure out the countercurse. It's pretty simple."

Regulus smirked back at him. "I'm sure he's enjoying it after what he usually has in his mouth," he said.

"Violet Moss?" Sirius replied.

"And all of her friends," Regulus added.

Sirius shuddered as they left the grounds. It was a windy day, slightly overcast. Regulus hoped it wouldn't rain on Saturday; he hated playing in the rain. "Where are you headed?" Regulus asked.

"The pitch," Sirius said. "I've got practice soon."

"Where's your broom?"

"James already took it down there."

"Touching."

"Shove off."

* * *

"It's all rather stupid, if you ask me," Lily said hotly after walking past a group of Slytherins with Marlene McKinnon, and Sirius and Remus walking in front of them. "It's just a game."

Marlene winced as Sirius turned on Lily. "Just a game?" he asked. "Evans, you know nothing about Quidditch, obviously."

"It is just a game!" Lily exclaimed. "A bunch of balls and broomsticks. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's fun, but everyone's too competitive about it!"

"Maybe that's the way it works in the Muggle world," Sirius said calmly. "But for witches and wizards, Quidditch is not just a game."

Lily and Marlene stared at him in shock. Luckily for Sirius, James was off writing a Potions essay. If he were next to him instead of Remus, Sirius would probably no longer be breathing.

"Are you trying to say I'm not a witch?" Lily asked, her cheeks getting red.

"That's not what I said," Sirius said, raising his voice. Maybe that had been uncalled for, but really, Evans knew nothing.

Lily glared at him. She flipped her hair off of her shoulder and walked past him. Marlene shook her head at him and followed her.

"Damn," Sirius said. He looked at Remus. "Don't say anything about this to Prongs, you hear me?"

Remus just nodded. "I can only imagine the look on his face," he said. He held back a smile.

"I hate it when your mouth twitches like that," Sirius replied, narrowing his eyes.

* * *

It was the last practice before the game, and James was pushing his team harder than ever. They were great, probably better than last year. James didn't feel like a great captain, but he did what he had to. He had loved flying since his dad had bought him a toy broomstick when he was four, and he had been into Quidditch since he went to his first game when he was eight. He knew what it took.

Sirius hit a Bludger viciously and it flew past Marlene, barely missing her. Marlene sped her broom toward Sirius. "Maybe that's the way it works in the Muggle world, Black," she snapped. "But it's not going to work here."

"Shove off, McKinnon," Sirius said.

"That's what Lily should have told you," Marlene said. "You're a right bastard, Sirius. What makes you think you can just talk to people like that? She's top of your year –"

"Wrap the personal business up after practice!" James yelled at Marlene and Sirius, ignoring what he had heard. "Let's play it again."

Afterwards, Marlene lost no time in wrapping it up. "You're such an arrogant git, you know that?" Marlene asked right as they landed. "Just like all those Slytherins – why weren't you Sorted into that house?"

"Marlene, don't you think that's a little uncalled for?" Sophie asked. She was the new Seeker, and the youngest player on the team, only a second year.

"No!" Marlene exclaimed. "I bet everyone's thought the same question – you practically are a Slytherin. Are you sure we can trust you during this game? You won't go all soft against your brother?"

James stepped in before Sirius could reply or strangle Marlene, his face was mangled up in anger. "McKinnon, you're not the captain," James said. "That's not your place to question that."

"Easy for you to say, you're his best friend!" Marlene exclaimed.

James grabbed Marlene's arm and dragged her off while she yelled at Sirius. He stopped behind the locker room and she gave him a vicious look. He crossed his arms. "Leave him alone," he said. "He's a Gryffindor, he's a Beater on our team – and come on, just the other day he took on three Slytherin guys."

"Then he shouldn't be such a jerk!" Marlene said, throwing her arms around.

"What did he do to you?" James asked. "I'll make him apologize."

"He called Lily a Muggle," Marlene said. "_Maybe that's how it works in the Muggle world, Evans. But for witches and wizards_ – Potter, you need to punch him, since I can't!"

James tensed, but continued, "If Sirius plays lousy tomorrow because he's angry, I'm going to blame you."

"Don't you ever wonder why he's not in Slytherin?" Marlene asked. "All the rest of his family is – his brother, all of his cousins, his parents."

"No, of course I don't," James replied. "He's in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat always knows the right choice for somebody. He's a prat sometimes, we all are. I want you to apologize."

"Apologize?" Marlene repeated, her eyes widening. "Are you mad, Potter?"

"I want you to apologize after he apologizes to Evans," James said. "Got it?"

"Whatever," Marlene said, crossing her arms. "Can I go, _captain_?"

"Yeah," James said.

Marlene pushed past him in bad temper. Sirius wasn't in the locker room. After James changed, he took their usual shortcut to Gryffindor Tower and found Sirius trudging along. He caught up with him. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Sirius said.

The two of them walked on in silence, and then Sirius spoke. "I don't need you sticking up for me, you know."

"I wasn't sticking up for you," James said. "Okay, I was, a little. But I was mainly just making sure you didn't get expelled for murder."

"I wouldn't have murdered her," Sirius replied. "I mean, I know everyone wonders it . . . why is Sirius Black a Gryffindor?"

"I can tell why. People are just daft," James stated. He stuck his hands in his pockets.

"The Hat said I'd be good for Slytherin, like the rest of my family," Sirius said. "But I asked to be Sorted into Gryffindor."

James looked at Sirius, surprised. His whole family had condoned Gryffindors, and he asked to be Sorted into the house? "You did?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said, nodding some hair out of his eyes. "When you and Peter told me you think you'd be in Gryffindor, I wanted to be in it, too. So, I asked to be in it."

"But, what if we hadn't been Sorted into Gryffindor?" James asked.

Sirius shrugged, not looking at him. "I knew you would be, somehow," he said. "Your parents were, and you were so . . . unlike the rest of my family."

James nodded. So, if he had never decided to sit with Sirius in that compartment, and talked to him, then things could have been very different. Sirius could have been a Slytherin and still living with his family.

In the common room, the two of them walked over to sit next to Remus and Peter. Peter was doing some Herbology homework, and Remus was writing his mum. James's eyes strayed over to Lily Evans, who was sitting alone in an armchair in the corner of the common room. He looked at Sirius, who was staring in the fire. "Sirius," James said. "You've got to apologize to Evans."

Sirius looked up at James. The look on his face was unrecognizable. He looked like he could have been angry, and also unbelievable, but like he had expected this. "What?" he said.

"I said, you've got to apologize to Evans," James said. He saw Peter bury his nose further into his books, his eyes avoiding the two of them. Remus scratched his nose with the end of the quill, keeping his eyes on his parchment.

"For what?" Sirius asked.

"Calling her a Muggle," James replied.

"I didn't call her a Muggle," Sirius said. "She's Muggle-born, she's used to Muggle things. I was just stating that Quidditch wasn't just a game."

"Quidditch?" James repeated. "You – look, it was stupid, just tell her you're sorry."

"I'm not," Sirius said defiantly. James couldn't tell weather he was serious, or if he was just being stupid, to make James angry.

"Oh, come on."

"She just took it the wrong way. Girls do that, they're sensitive."

"You mean you're not going to apologize?"

"Of course not. One, you can't just boss me around. And I'm not sorry for what I said."

"I'm not trying to boss you around," James said angrily. "You don't want everybody to think you're a huge git, do you?"

"Everybody thinks that already," Sirius said. "Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with Evans, you wouldn't care what I said to her." He looked at Remus and Peter, who looked very preoccupied with their things. "Isn't he too protective over her? Evans can take care of herself, can't she?"

"How would you like it if I called Jewel a Muggle, hm?" James asked.

"You're not going out with Evans," Sirius said loudly. Fortunately for him, Lily was far away enough that she probably didn't hear him. "You probably never will be. Why can't you just drop her and go back to normal?"

"Normal?" James repeated. "Is that what this is all about? I'm not normal?" He looked at Remus and Peter. "It's not that bad, is it? She's just a girl."

"You're just always looking at her, you're just always thinking about her, you're only always hitting on her," Sirius said. "It's disgusting, she doesn't even like you. She never has."

James grew red in the cheeks. Remus put his head in his hands. Peter glanced from one to the other, looking desperately for something to do. "I know that!" James exclaimed. "It's not always – I just –"

"Just what?" Sirius asked. "Just –"

"You're just jealous!" James exclaimed.

Sirius looked at him, his eyes wide. "Jealous?" he repeated, as though he had just suggested kissing Severus Snape. "Jealous, are you mad, Potter? Jealous, of Lily Evans? Since when has she had anything that I could be jealous for?"

James crossed his arms and glared at Sirius, but apparently Sirius didn't like the look on his face. "You smug bastard," Sirius said. He stood up and punched James across the nose.

Within seconds, the two of them were fighting on the floor. Remus groaned, finally looking up. "Is this really necessary?" he asked.

James punched Sirius in the face, sitting on his stomach. Sirius pushed him off, then went after him, punching him again. "You arse," Sirius said, punching him twice. James punched Sirius in the stomach. Sirius doubled back, gasping for breath. He kicked James in the face and James fell back, his nose bleeding and most likely broken. James went after Sirius again, fists and face bloody.

"You two will be the death of me," Remus said. He took out his wand just as Lily came over and he separated the two of them with the Shield Spell with which he had become very familiar. The two of them started to go for each other again, but Paul Brendell stood between the two of them. "That's really enough."

"Shut up, Remus," Sirius said harshly.

Lily walked over to James, taking out her wand. "You are so daft, James Potter," she said, pointing her wand to his face. "_Episkey._" James winced as his nose healed. "I should have left it broken."

James looked down at Lily, blood all over his face and hands. Sirius broke past Paul and tackled James down. Lily jumped back, watching the two of them fight. Remus set the Shield between them again.

"Will you stop it?" Sirius yelled at Remus. "I'll break your nose next, you ugly prat!"

"Sirius, leave him alone!" Lily exclaimed. "He was only taking care of the two of you! I don't want to have to take points from Gryffindor."

"Oh, go ahead and do it!" Sirius said. "Ten, twenty, thirty points from your own house! I don't bloody care, you already ruin everything else!"

"What have I ever done to you?" Lily asked hotly.

Sirius glared at her, then thundered out of the common room, his right eye bruising and his shirt ripped. "Stupid prat," James said once the portrait hole shut.

"I told you," Marlene said. "You just can't win with him."

"Shut up," James told her. "Only the three of us are allowed to insult Sirius."

"I can't believe you!" Lily exclaimed. "Fighting in the common room, with first and second years here to see and everything! You're a horrible example to your classmates!"

"He attacked me!" James said indignantly.

"You're lucky I'm not going to take points away," Lily said. She shook her head and walked back to her corner.

"I'm going to kill him," James said moodily, then stalked upstairs to his dormitory.

* * *

Jewel jumped up and down, cheering as Sophie Dillon, the smallest member on the Gryffindor team, held the Snitch in her hand. She turned and gave Juniper a hug. "I can't believe we're actually starting to understand this game!" Juniper yelled over the cheers.

Gryffindor had won by fifty points after an hour-long game. The students started filing out of the stands, meeting the players on the field. The only players who shook hands were the Black brothers, all the other Slytherins stormed off. There was a fight between two opposing players, but Frank Longbottom split them up before any teachers noticed.

"Was that Paul Brendell?" Juniper asked. "He's rather cute."

"Paul?" Jewel repeated. "He's so. . .girly."

"What?" Juniper said, laughing.

On the pitch, Sirius kissed Jewel full on the mouth. James and Juniper let out cat-calls. "Good game," she told him once they had pulled away. Sirius draped his arm over his shoulders, and Jewel was lucky enough to feel his sweat from the game. "You're sweaty."

Sirius wiped his face all over hers. "Oh, gods," Jewel said, pushing him away.

Laughing, he pulled her towards him again. "I'm going to enjoy a victory party," he said. "Want to come?"

"To Gryffindor Tower?" Jewel asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said brightly, "I can sneak you in."

"It's all right," Jewel said. "You go to your party. I'll see you later on today."

"You sure?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Jewel said.

"All right, see you," Sirius said. He went into the Quidditch locker rooms, pushing James playfully. Despite Sirius's black and purple bruised cheek, he and James were talking again. The game had made them up. Jewel would never understand some boys. Fighting and punching one second, back to best friends the next. Yesterday, Sirius had harassed Ravenclaws outside of the tower to go get Jewel until she came out, then complained and vented to her about James for an hour. Then they had snogged in an empty closet after he got all of his frustration out.

Jewel started walking with a group of girls. Mary MacDonald, her voice hoarse from the commentary, smiled at Jewel. "You're going out with Sirius, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jewel said.

"How do you survive?" Lily Evans asked.

"Spend as little time with him as possible," Jewel said, laughing.

* * *

Sirius's seventeenth birthday came and went. He, James, Remus and Peter played in the Forbidden Forest all night beforehand, and Sirius woke up next to his three friends, stark naked, aching from running around all night. Kreacher, his family's detestable house-elf, sent him a box of maggots. Regulus gave him a book about Beaters. He never was very good at gifts, but Sirius liked it all right. Jewel had forgotten to get him anything, but gave him seventeen birthday kisses.

He could tell Evans was itching to tell them off for being too loud in the common room during the party they had thrown Sirius, but McGonagall finally told them off, and handed out detentions to James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Remus was none too happy about receiving a detention when he had been sleeping most of the party. It was just his luck that Sirius had made him wake up around one in the morning and forced him to dance with Candace, who was well past any common sense due to one too many firewhiskeys.

Fortunately for Evans, she went to bed early and James had no chance to harass her as he had harassed Mary MacDonald. Unfortunately for James, however, Frank Longbottom, Mary's new boyfriend, had not gone to bed early. Well, Prongs wouldn't be the only one with a black eye the next day; Sirius had taken a nasty fall when giving seventh year Katie a strip tease.

"Battle scars," he said grudgingly the next day, looking into the mirror.

"I'll show you war scars, you idiot," James said, throwing an empty bottle of firewhiskey at him. "You could have at least told me Frank was watching! Or distract him! Or something!"

"I was occupied," Sirius said shortly, throwing the bottle back at him.

The lump that was Peter moaned and groaned and told them both to shut up. Remus laughed when the bottle finally broke on the side of Sirius's head. After which, Sirius decided to give Remus some battle scars, as well . .


	5. Mistletoe Troubles

**Title:** Glass Hearts

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary (for chapter): **December, a kiss that goes down in infamy, and the Slug Club Christmas Party.

* * *

December passed for the students at Hogwarts, and Peter couldn't wait for Christmas Break. The four of them were going to James's house for break, but the days seemed to go by so slowly when the end of term was so near. They had lots of homework before the end of the term and a few exams. It snowed nearly every day, the castle grounds were covered in a blanket of snow for the bulk of the month.

Snowball fights were therefore essential. Every time they were off for class, they were outside, playing in the snow, ignoring homework, making students angry.

"What is snow for except to attack people with?" James asked after a group of fourth year girls had angrily attacked him and buried him under snow.

Peter then threw a snowball at the back of his head and James chased him around while Peter yelled, "What is snow for except to attack people with?"

Other Gryffindors often joined in on these snowball fights, and sometimes other Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Peter ran around with pink cheeks and gloved hands, hiding behind James and Sirius so he wouldn't be pummeled by Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Mary MacDonald had a killer arm, as all of them had had found out rather unpleasantly when Sirius threw a snowball at her while she walked with her boyfriend Frank Longbottom. Marlene was also very vicious, and Peter figured that was why James had chosen her for Chaser this year and why he hid behind Peter when she answered James's challenge. Sirius had enchanted snowballs to follow Snape around whenever he came outside and was unfortunate enough to be seen. Snape once responded to waving his wand and sending Sirius through the snow face first. Aubrey was furious when the two of them started dueling.

"Evans, come on, you know you want to throw one right at my face!" James called after Lily one afternoon when she refused to join in.

"No, thank you, Potter!" Lily called back to them.

"Please?" James yelled. "Please, just throw one at me! I'll only throw one back at you, I swear!"

Lily ignored him as she continued to talk to Melissa Warbeck.

James grumbled and continued to pelt snowballs at Remus and Sirius, who were on the other side of the lake. Peter saw Lily bend down and make a snowball, but decided not to say anything to James. The look on his face when a snowball hit the back of his neck and the ice started running down his shirt was priceless. He turned, brushing off the snow with his glove, and looked at Lily. She had already turned and was walking again, but she looked back and grinned at James.

James turned to look at Peter, who was laughing. "You saw her do that, didn't you?" James asked. He proceeded to put snow down Peter's pants.

Their monthly adventures in the Forbidden Forest were fun, as usual. The one thing just as good as spending so much time in the snow was spending so much time in the snow in their animal forms. Sirius and James were talking of hexing Aubrey, especially since he was getting worse after catching people around mistletoe. He tried to have it banned, but no one would have it, not even the professors.

"It's the season of love," Sirius said. "Why must Aubrey try to ruin everything?" He and Jewel were spending more time together than usual, usually under mistletoe. He had kissed a few other girls, none too hesitantly, and to get back at him, Jewel had kissed a few other boys.

Peter had unluckily encountered a seventh year Slytherin girl underneath the mistletoe, and James, Remus and Sirius had roared with laughter when she kissed him on the forehead, then pushed him down. Clusters of girls waited at every bunch of mistletoe possible, making detours to class absolutely necessary and many people late.

James, Peter, Remus and Sirius stumbled into Transfiguration, panting from their run. "Why are you four late?" Professor McGonagall asked sternly.

"It's the girls!" James said wildly. "They're everywhere!"

"Excuse me?" McGonagall asked.

"What he means," Remus started to explain, "is that if you take any of the usual paths to class, you run into all of the girls waiting for boys under the mistletoe, and then we would have been even more late, because those girls are desperate."

McGonagall only raised her eyebrows. "It's true," Mary said, nodding. "I'm glad I'm a girl, walking through the corridors is dangerous around this time."

"I would have thought you'd've enjoyed it," McGonagall said to the four boys. "Please, take a seat, you are no longer in danger."

Sirius looked cautiously at the ceiling as he sat down. "No where's safe," he said, shaking his head.

Slughorn's usual Christmas party was approaching, and James was moping around because he hadn't been invited. "You're just mad that you won't be able to ask Evans," Sirius said.

"Don't worry, I wasn't invited, either," Peter said.

"Me, neither," Remus said, turning the page in his book.

James looked longingly over at Lily, who was laughing with Paul Brendell. He suddenly sat up. "What's she doing with Paul?" he asked.

Peter glanced at Remus and Sirius, then pretended to be very busy with his shoes. He would just leave this one up to the professionals. "I dunno," Sirius said casually.

"Why are they alone?" James asked. He looked at his friends with a hard look on his face. Remus did not look up from his book. He looked at Peter and his eyebrows twitched. "What's going on? What are you . . . ?"

James looked back at Lily and Paul. Paul stood up and held his hand out for Lily. Lily, smiling, took his hand and they walked out of the common room, holding hands and bumping shoulders. James stared at the portrait hole in horror for long moments after it had closed.

"Rumor has it they bumped into each other underneath the mistletoe," Remus said cautiously, "and that they are together now."

James stared a moment longer, then looked at Sirius. "Was he invited to Slughorn's party?" he asked.

"Not by Slughorn, per se," Sirius said calmly.

James flopped down unto the couch, looking miserable. "He's off the Quidditch team," he said. "He's a horrible Beater, I don't know what I was thinking – did you see that horrible shot last game, when he . . . "

Remus, Sirius and Peter glanced at each other as James continued to talk to himself.

"What has he got that I haven't?" James asked, his hands over his face. "I have better hair, a nicer body – maybe it's the glasses." He sat up, looking at his friends. "Should I get one of those vision-correcting spells?"

"No," Remus said, alarmed. "No, you'd look awful."

James took off his glasses and threw them to the ground. He then stepped on them. Remus winced at the sound of breaking glass. Sirius raised his eyebrows. Peter had feared this reaction. James began to stomp on the glasses, crushing them with the bottom of his trainer. "This isn't fair," he wailed as he plopped down on the couch.

"_Reparo_," Remus said mildly, pointing his wand at the glasses.

James let out a moan and then went silent so that he sounded like he had just died.

* * *

Lily was rushing to get to her last class of the term. She was running late because she had been talking with Paul. She walked quickly down the corridors, trying to keep her book bag on her shoulder. Her last class of the term and she was going to be late. She turned the corner and ran directly into somebody, full on.

She dropped her book bag and all of its contents went sprawling. She let out a swear word, crouching down to pick up all of her things.

"Blimey, I'm sorry," James Potter was saying, helping her pick up her books. He looked up at her and his eyes widened and he looked as though he were going to die for a moment. Lily stuffed her things into her book bag, her face growing red.

"Sorry," Lily said, taking her last books from Potter's hands. She stood up, avoiding his eyes. She heard an eruption of giggles. She looked, and saw a group of fourth year girls pointing above their heads. She looked up and to her horror, saw an innocent-looking bustle of mistletoe above her.

James was staring at Lily unabashedly, his cheeks pink. She was going to be late, this was going to spread over the school like wildfire, she had just started going out with Paul – _her last class of the term_. She grabbed James by the sides of the face and kissed him on the mouth.

James immediately kissed her back, putting his hands on the sides of her torso. He leaned into the kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth. Lily closed her eyes, turning her head a bit. He wasn't too bad of a kisser; he kissed her gently, but Lily could feel the building passion he was holding back. He was never going to get over this. She pulled away from him. "Sorry," she repeated. He only looked at her in shock. She pushed past him to make it to Arithmancy only five minutes late.

James stood in shock under the mistletoe. He had just kissed Lily Evans – no, Lily Evans had just kissed him. He blinked a few times as though a blinding light had just been shown to him. He touched his damp lips, dazed. Had that really just happened? His better judgment was telling him it had only been a few moments, but it had felt like hours, like days, like an eternity.

He took no notice to the girls giggling next to him, to how his feet felt when he dragged them down the corridor, to the looks people and portraits shot him. He had no idea where he was going, and he felt like he had just smoked a load of gillyweed with Sirius. Wasn't she with Paul now? How on earth was he going to manage anything over his break, when he had just experienced Lily Evans – her warm tongue against his, her hands on the side of her face, the feel of his body against hers, her breath on his mouth as she had pulled away . . .

In the common room, Marlene was playing Exploding Snap with Sirius. Remus and Peter were playing chess. James sat down next to them. Sirius looked at him. "You all right, James?" he asked.

"I . . . " James trailed off. He saw Paul walking down the steps and watched him leave the common room.

"Yoo-hoo," Sirius said, nudging James's knee. "Are you alive?"

"I . . . " James trailed off again. "Yeah . . . yeah, I think so." In fact, he didn't know if he had ever felt more alive than when he was kissing her.

* * *

It was everywhere. Everyone knew. Lily could feel their eyes following her as she walked down the corridors. She hated Hogwarts and she hated its damn rumor mill and she hated mistletoe.

Suddenly, she was attacked and pulled into a broom closet. Lily gasped as she was shoved up against the wall and thought for a moment that perhaps Potter thought he was going to get a bit more, but then someone lit up the tip of her wand and she found herself facing Mary and Marlene.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked hotly. "You're crazy!"

"We're crazy?" Mary repeated. She looked at Marlene, her eyes wider than Lily had ever seen him. "You did kiss James Potter, didn't you?"

Lily shrugged, her face heating up. "Yeah? So?" she said.

Marlene threw her hands up. "Mary, we have to find out what's happened to Lily!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, come on," Lily said. "It was just a kiss!"

Mary grabbed Marlene's arm. "It's more serious than we thought," she said. "When was the last time you 'just' kissed someone?"

"Are you trying to imply that I don't kiss boys often?" Lily asked.

"Unless you've been hiding something, yes," Mary said.

Lily glared at her. She had heard that Mary was going out with Frank from _Violet Moss_, of all people. Mary was usually the one hiding things from Lily - or just not caring enough to tell her, even though they were supposedly such good friends. She wanted to get out of this closet, but her two friends were blocking her. She considered trying to push through them, but Mary was stronger than her and Marlene was taller. She huffed, crossing her arms.

Marlene looked more understanding. "Lily, I just want to remind you that two weeks ago you threatened to hex James's ears off after he tried to Summon your robes off," she said. "You do remember that, don't you?"

"And you remember how just a few days ago he was cheating off of Sirius's exam?" Mary said quickly.

"Is this the Bash-Potter closet?" Lily asked.

"The roles have reversed," Mary said. "Instead of bashing Potter, you're sticking up for him!"

"I never stuck up for him," Lily said. "This is ridiculous - everyone's kissing everyone. It's just that time of the year! Marlene kissed Jonathon Smith. You kissed Liam Gertram -"

"You're not going to tell Frank about that, are you?" Mary asked, narrowing her eyes.

Lily shot her a glare. "Of course not," she said.

Mary put her hands up innocently. "It was just a question," she said.

Marlene seemed to notice the tension. "Lily, it's just that it's going to make him even worse -" she began.

Lily took a deep breath and pushed through the two girls. She stumbled out of the closet, breathing freely. She felt much less cornered now, and began walking towards Gryffindor Tower. "You think I haven't thought about that?" she asked. "You think I didn't just fail my Arithmancy exam thinking about it?"

"Just -" Mary began.

"Look, maybe we should just drop it," Marlene suggested.

"Maybe you never should have brought it up," Lily said. She was having a hard enough time accepting that she had kissed James Potter and slightly _enjoyed it_ without her friends demanding answers to completely irrational behavior.

* * *

After Sirius and Jewel had showed up at Slughorn's party, Sirius found out, rather abruptly, why James had been such an idiot in the common room. All of the students were talking about the infamous kiss under the mistletoe – Lily Evans kissing James Potter. He was going to kill her.

"Sirius, where are we going?" Jewel asked as Sirius pulled her through the crowded room.

Sirius didn't answer her. He found Lily and Paul, talking closely up against the wall. "Oh, no," Jewel groaned. Sirius let go of her hand and tapped Paul on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, I need a word with your girlfriend," Sirius said.

Lily looked at Sirius and Jewel, then raised her eyebrows. "What do you want?" she asked.

"Listen, that was completely uncalled for," Sirius said. "It's bad enough that you talk to him, that you throw snowballs at him, that you heal his nose. It's bad enough that you're all he talks about, all he thinks about and that he's been moping around like his entire family has just died for the last day and then you go and snog him – it's just, I can't let you do that!"

Lily looked at Sirius. "What?" she asked. "We didn't snog, and Paul is perfectly fine with it."

"I don't give a bloody hell about Paul," Sirius said. "I don't care if there was mistletoe, I don't care if you thought it was nothing, but you can't do that to James. Do you know how unbearable he'll be now? And you don't even like him!"

"It was just a kiss," Lily said. "Maybe five seconds long!"

"That is sex to James, especially since it was from you," Sirius said. "If you ever kiss him again, I'll – I don't know, but I'll do something."

"You can't just boss me around," Lily said hotly.

"Au contraire," Sirius said, waving his hand. "You can't just lead him on, Evans. You don't understand how much he really likes you. You think it's just an obsessive crush. Don't mess with him, Evans, he's my best friend. I'll have Jewel beat you up."

"There's no need for threatening around here," Paul said, stepping forward.

"Shut up," Sirius snapped. He looked at Lily. "What were you thinking? You hate his guts, and now he's all out of it – I'm supposed to spend Christmas with him, and if you ruin it, she will beat you up."

"Stop threatening her," Paul said firmly.

"Jewel, you will, won't you?" Sirius asked Jewel.

Jewel had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot to the music. She looked at Sirius, blinking. "I will what?" she asked.

"You'll beat her up, won't you?" Sirius asked.

Jewel looked at Lily, who did not look amused. "Why would I beat her up?" she asked.

"If she leads James on again, if she ever kisses him or touches him again and then just walks away, you'll beat her up, won't you?" Sirius said, annoyed. His own girlfriend couldn't back him up because she didn't listen to him.

"Oh, yeah," Jewel said, nodding. She looked at Lily. "It's so cruel, honestly. And he's already all over you. You've only made it worse."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Lily exclaimed.

"You just weren't thinking," Jewel said. "I know. Just be careful, or he'll Imperio me to make me beat you up." She took Sirius's hand. "Come on, Sirius, she'll leave James alone."

"I'm serious," Sirius told Lily. "You're just going to go back to hating him and insulting him – and that argument that you've never given him any hint that you like him isn't going to work anymore, you know." He was going to continue, but Jewel pulled him into the crowd. "I had more to say to her."

"She got the point," Jewel said, patting his hand. "James will be fine, he's a big boy. But that was sweet, really."

"Oh, don't call me sweet," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Come on. Let's go see if Slughorn has any mead."

* * *

Please review! I love getting feedback :-)

What do you get when you put a Christmas party, a drinking contest and a few Christmas flashbacks together? The next chapter!


	6. Past and Present

**Title:** Glass Hearts

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary (for chapter): **We begin with a few Christmas flashbacks. Then Andromeda Tonks throws a Christmas party which our Marauders and a group of other people attend and enjoy.

* * *

Sirius sneaked a cookie from the platter on the coffee table. His mother was talking with his aunt, the two of them gushing over something boring. His father was reading the paper, and none of the rest of the adults were looking. Sirius sneaked a second one, hiding the first in his robes. He walked over to Regulus, who wore a purple hat that looked ugly on him.

Sirius waved the cookie in front of his face. "Haha," he said.

Regulus frowned. "How did you get that?" he asked.

"I just took it," Sirius said.

"I want one," Regulus whined.

Sirius handed him the one out of his robes. "Here," he said with a roll of his eyes.

Their three cousins were over at their house. All three of them had come home from Hogwarts. Sirius couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts. He couldn't wait to get a wand and make friends and get Sorted. He didn't actually know what House he would be in, or which House he wanted to be in. Most of his family was in Slytherin; his cousin Andromeda had been Sorted into Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw seemed cool.

Sirius, only seven, glanced around his home. There was a gigantic Christmas tree decorated with white lights, but it was the only thing that gave off the appearance of brightness or color. The rest of his home was dark, gray, and he didn't understand why. He didn't want to be Sorted into Slytherin if it looked like his home. But anyways, at Hogwarts, him and Regulus would do all kinds of cool stuff: join the Quidditch team, explore the Forbidden Forest.

Narcissa walked over to Sirius, her hand on her hip. "Where did you get that cookie?" she asked. She was only a first year, but she thought she could boss Sirius around.

"None of your business," Sirius said shortly.

Narcissa gave him a patronizing look and walked away. Sirius sat down next to Regulus and took the hat off of his brother's head. "I don't know why Uncle Cygnus gave this to you," he said.

Andromeda and Bellatrix were fighting about something. Bellatrix was like her youngest sister; she tried to boss everyone around, especially now that she was a prefect. Andromeda was definitely Sirius's favorite cousin. Sirius glared at Bellatrix as the argument went on.

A few minutes later, there was a blast of red light. It seemed like time slowed down. Andromeda was bleeding, and Bellatrix looked shocked as she stared at her sister. Adults jumped up, yelling and pulling out their wands. Narcissa started screaming, the blood on her dress and her face and in her blonde hair. An owl flew in, dropping a letter in Bellatrix's lap. Regulus was soon crying, covering his ears. Sirius stared at the scene, horrified.

* * *

Remus sat in the Shrieking Shack, his head in his hands. What were they thinking? This wouldn't work...they were idiots, all of them. They'd been trying to accomplish the Animagus magic for almost three years, and three weeks ago, James had finally attempted to morph into his Animagus form flawlessly. They had practiced it nearly every night since then. Sirius had caught on a few days later, and Peter nearly two weeks.

It was pretty much perfect, but that did nothing for the knot in the bottom of Remus's stomach. What if he tried to hurt them? What if he bit one of them? What if they got caught? What if, what if, what if. His mind was full of what if's, he couldn't stop thinking of them.

The Hogwarts grounds were very empty for Christmas holidays. The Marauders had stayed behind to try out their first attempt at this madness - absolute madness. The three of them would pull on James's invisibility cloak and sneak down to the Whomping Willow, then into the Shrieking Shack. After that was hazy. After that was where most of Remus's worries came into the picture.

He could feel the full moon coming on - only about half an hour. His bones ached, and his muscles throbbed. The days of the winter were shorter and the nights were longer, meaning he spent more time as a wolf when the time came around.

Remus paced around the Shrieking Shack nervously. This had been a great day - Christmas Day of his fifth year was just great really. Why end it with possible murdering one of his best friends? Maybe he could run back to the castle in time to tell them he didn't want to do it. What good would that do? They would do it anyway, Remus knew it.

Sirius had gotten him a book about wizarding myths, it looked highly interesting. He had been reading it until he knew he needed to get down to the Shrieking Shack. James gave him a Sneakoscope. It hadn't done anything yet, but when students started coming back, they would see if it worked. James said they would walk around until they found Snape, but Sirius didn't feel like looking for Snivellus.

Snape had recently been more hostile towards them than usual. Remus thought it was because James's crush on Lily Evans was getting unbearable. He knew he wasn't the only one who noticed her strange friendship with Snape. James was just as hostile towards Snape. It really hadn't been pretty after he saw the two of them alone in the Quidditch stands last month.

How could he be thinking about Snape and Lily when his friends were coming in an hour, possibly to their deaths?

Remus sighed, shaking his head. He hoped this wasn't the last Christmas he spent with them.

* * *

"Oh, mum, at Hogwarts, they had twelve huge Christmas trees in the Great Hall!" Lily chatted away excitedly. "And at the closing feast before we all left, we had treacle tarts and lemon drops and this wonderful roast. I just love it there, mum, I'm so glad I'm a witch."

"I'm glad you like it so much," her mum, Rose Evans, replied.

The two of them were making apple pie for Christmas tomorrow. Lily cut the apples, sitting on a chair by the island in their kitchen. There was Christmas music playing, and the fire was crackling in the living room.

"It's good to be home, though," Lily said. "I've missed you all so much."

"But you're making lots of new friends," Rose said.

"Oh, yes," Lily said. "One of my roommates, Mary MacDonald, is so fun to hang out with. She does the craziest things - not anything against the rules, of course, but during Transfiguration about a week ago, she Transfigured James Potter's book - oh, mum, he's this boy in my year, but I don't think I like him very much. He's so full of himself. A month ago, he turned poor Candace's hair purple. She cried all night. I don't know how he learned spells like that. Maybe it's because he grew up with wizarding parents -"

Petunia walked into the kitchen, and Lily cut off abruptly. She fell silent, concentrating on her apple. Rose looked at her curiously. She glanced at Petunia, who looked around haughtily.

"Mum, I can't find the glasses for the table," Petunia said.

"They're in the second draw of the china cabinet," Rose replied.

Petunia walked back towards the dining room, where she was setting the table for Christmas dinner. Lily sighed a little bit. "What was that all about?" Rose asked.

Lily looked up at her, her cheeks pink. "What?" she asked.

"You know what I'm talking about," Rose said.

Lily shrugged. "I just don't think Petunia likes all that stuff," she said.

Rose fell silent. Her husband walked in, looking comfortable in a sweater and slacks. "It smells delicious!" he said with a warm smile on his face. "Lily, I'm so glad you're home to help your mum."

"Me, too," Rose said, stroking Lily's hair down. "You done with those apples?"

"Yes, mum," Lily said, setting the knife down.

"This apple pie is going to be marvelous," Rose said.

* * *

"Christmas at St. Mungo's," Marlene's dad said cheerily. "This isn't so bad, is it?"

Marlene and the rest of his family were gathered around his bed in St. Mungo's. He wore a stocking cap and had a glass of pumpkin juice in his hand. Marlene knew they had a tree at home and mum's wonderful roast, but dad was here, and that was what mattered. The left side of his face was bandaged up.

"No, it's great," Marlene's mum replied.

Marlene pried her eyes away from her father and looked down at her new socks, white with dragons on them. Doug and George were there, enjoying their gifts as well. Her dad had gotten them Dark Sensory objects, like he usually did. Their whole house was full of things like Sneakoscopes and Foe-Glasses.

"Happy Christmas," Doug said with a stupid grin on his face. He had been drinking firewhiskey over the past week ever since they heard about dad's attack, and today wasn't any different.

Mum shook her head. "What if Sarah saw you like this?" she asked.

"She sees me like this all the time, mum," Doug said, speaking of his fiance.

Mum met Marlene's eyes with a smile. "I wouldn't marry you," Marlene said shortly.

"Good," Doug said.

George looked as though he'd been drinking a bit, too, but he was hiding it from mum pretty well. He was only a sixth year, but Marlene knew that didn't stop him. He was one of the guys who helped James Potter and his friends sneak into Hogsmeade. James Potter and Sirius Black, one year above her, worshipped her brothers and her dad; it was quite funny watching them try to get on George's good side.

Marlene looked up at her dad again, taking his hand. "I'm glad you're all right," she said.

"Me, too, honey," dad patted her on the head.

"Is this going to happen again?" Marlene asked.

It was silent for a moment, and Marlene already knew the answer. "Well, Marly, all three of us are going to be Aurors someday," dad said. "It's a very dangerous job, especially in days like these."

Marlene let out a sigh. "I know," she said. She had heard this one before.

"Let's just enjoy Christmas," mum said brightly. She brought out a camera. "Come on, kids, gather around dad."

* * *

"Remus, just let me buy the bloody things," Sirius said.

Remus glared at him, crossing his arms. Why did he have to do this? Why not just let him wear his own dress robes?

"Thank you," Sirius took his silence as consent.

They were in Diagon Alley, and Remus made the mistake of following Sirius into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Then he made his second mistake by trying some nice dress robes on. Now miserable, he followed Sirius to the check-out desk.

"You've got to look decent for Andromeda's party," Sirius said.

"I've got dress robes of my own," Remus said.

"They're too small for you," Sirius said shortly. He had also bought Andromeda a necklace and matching earrings for Christmas. It was merely more proof that Sirius was secretly in love with Andromeda.

As Madam Malkin took Sirius's galleons, Remus looked outside the window. Diagon Alley was not as full as it usually was, especially since there had been a rumored dementor sighting about a week ago. People came, got what they needed, and left as soon as possible. But, of course, not the four of them. They lounged around at Sirius and James's wishes, visiting this store and then that store, buying this and then that.

Sirius handed the bag to Remus. "You're very welcome," he said.

"Thanks," Remus muttered.

They walked outside into the snowy alley and went searching for James and Peter. They were at Quality Quidditch Supplies, to no one's surprise, and James hid a bag behind his back when he saw Sirius.

"Ready?" Sirius asked. He looked at his watch, the one Mr. Potter had gotten him for his seventeenth birthday. He guarded that thing as if it were his own offspring. "Andromeda's party starts in an hour."

"Damn, mum wanted us home by now," James said. "Let's Floo out of here before she has all our knickers."

* * *

The four of them waited by the doors while James's mother ran around trying to find earrings. James's dad walked in with a pair of socks in his hand. "Are those mine?" James asked.

"They could be," his dad replied. "Our socks look just the same."

A carriage came by for the six of them. His mum was the last one in, but then they were off to Andromeda's. It was probably a magical carriage, because within minutes they had arrived in a completely different place. They stepped out of the carriage in front of a decorated house, music and people streaming out of it.

The snow crunched and fairies came out of the bushes as they walked towards the front door. They were announced, and a man took their coats, filling the sagging coat hanger. The house was full of people; the air alive with Christmas music and people talking. The living room had been changed into a small dance floor. There was a snack table with a large ice sculpture of a swan surrounded by candies. After making sure his parents had disappeared, James filled up four glasses of firewhiskey.

"Sirius!" a voice came right before they were about to toast.

Sirius's cousin Andromeda had arrived to greet them. Sirius's face lit up, and Remus elbowed James in the stomach. He mouthed the word 'love.' Andromeda was definitely a beautiful woman with long dark hair and bright eyes. Andromeda pulled Sirius into a hug, then politely shook the hands of his three friends.

"Thanks for inviting us," Remus said.

"Oh, of course," Andromeda said. "Sirius probably wouldn't have come without the three of you."

"Weemus!" came a squeal.

A small girl ran to Remus's legs, throwing her arms around him. "She missed you," Andromeda said with a smile. Little Nymphadora, who had gathered a variety of nicknames from the boys, had her hair bright red and she wore dark green dress robes.

A moment later, a teenage girl came through the crowd. "Nymphadora!" she said breathlessly. "Sorry, Mrs. Tonks."

"Don't worry about it," Andromeda said. "Just don't let her get to close to the snack table." She put her hand on Sirius's shoulder. "Enjoy yourself."

James slightly recognized the girl. She blushed when she noticed Sirius, busying herself with Nympho, who wouldn't detach herself from Remus. "You look familiar," Sirius said.

The girl blushed harder. "Oh, I'm just a fourth year Ravenclaw," she said.

"Right," Sirius said, nodding. "You always let me in Ravenclaw Tower."

She giggled, pulling Dot harder. "Come on, Nymphadora," she said.

James downed his firewhiskey, and the four of them managed to get Remus away from his three-year-old admirer. "Another woman in love with Remus Lupin," Sirius said.

James saw a familiar head of wavy hair. "Marlene?" he called.

A girl a few feet away from them turned around. She squeezed through a few people, smiling at them. "Hey!" she said. She looked pretty in blue dress robes. "Happy Christmas!"

"Yeah," James said. "Is your dad here?"

Marlene nodded, glanced around. "Yeah, somewhere," she said. "You'll have to catch him quick, though, he's not staying for too long."

"Sweet," James said. "Where is he?"

Marlene shrugged. She looked at the other boys. "Anyone want to dance?"

Remus's eyes widened, and Peter looked like he had never heard the word 'dance.' Sirius extended his hand. The two of them went unto the dance floor while James went searching for his idols: the McKinnon boys.

Remus and Peter found Melissa Warbeck with her mum by the back door. Melissa was nothing like her mother Celestina. Celestina was loud, flashy, and hitting on Sirius's Uncle Alphard. "Remus, right?" Alphard said.

"Yes," Remus said.

"And...Peter?" Alphard said.

Peter nodded, delighted someone remembered his name.

"Where's my nephew?" Alphard boomed. He was a loud jolly fellow, kind of like a Father Christmas figure.

"Dancing the night away," Remus said. He nodded to Melissa. "How are you?"

"Oh, good," Melissa said. "Enjoying your holidays?"

"Yeah," Remus said. Christmas Break was, as Remus had expected, everything he had wanted and more. His parents had visited them for a few days. They had had even more snowball fights, cozy nights by the fireplace, and games with the Potters. The luck seemed to always be in favor of Mr. Potter in Exploding Snap. Mrs. Potter had hundreds of Famous Wizarding Cards from Chocolate Frogs, and they spent a whole night reading all of the descriptions and quizzing each other. "You?"

"Yeah," Melissa said with a smile. "It's been great so far."

The party was an event for the adults to get drunk and forget that the war was going on, and for their children to snog one another and forget that the war was going on. It was at least an hour later when Mary MacDonald and Frank Longbottom stumbled in from outside, their faces flushed. James patted Frank on the shoulder, winking at him. Mary detached herself from her boyfriend and started dancing with Marlene. Remus stood by the snacks table with Frank, who didn't seem like one to dance.

"Where have your friends got to?" Frank asked.

"They're sucking up to the McKinnons," Remus said.

"Ah," Frank said. "I should be doing that."

"Aren't you practically a shoe-in for training?" Remus asked.

Frank shrugged. "We'll see," he said.

"Oh, right," Remus said with a roll of his eyes. "You're in, Frank. Not only are they desperate for Aurors, but you're perfect."

Frank gave him a smile. "Thanks," he said.

A girl with curly hair came to the table from the crowd, searching for air. "Hi," she said breathlessly. "It's so hot in that crowd."

"Yeah," Remus said. "Alice Hodge, right?"

Alice gave him a smile. She grabbed herself a glass of juice. "Right," she said. "We're in the same year, I think."

"Yeah," Remus said.

"Yeah, I study with Lily every now and then," Alice said. "Especially Transfiguration. I hate that class."

"It's definitely got its difficult parts," Remus replied.

Alice started drinking her juice as though she hadn't had anything to drink for ages. She paused, glancing on the other side of Remus. "Frank?" she said.

Frank looked up. He blushed a little bit when he saw that it was Alice. "Hey," he said. "Happy Holidays."

"Yeah," Alice said. They both seemed a bit awkward; Remus felt like he should leave as the two of them looked at each other with him in the middle. He turned around, refilling his glass with butterbeer. "I mean, Happy Holidays to you, too."

Frank nodded. He cleared his throat. "You, uh, enjoying the party?" he asked.

"Yeah," Alice said.

There was a moment of silence. Alice looked like she was about to say something else, but Mary stumbled over to them. She was laughing loudly, being even louder than the typical Mary. She threw her arms around Frank's neck. "Have I ever told you how handsome you are?" she asked breathlessly.

Frank gave her a tight smile, putting his hand on her back. Mary swung around to look at Remus and Alice. She gave them a stupid grin. "I'm so _happy_!" she exclaimed.

"You're so pissed," Frank said. "I leave you for ten minutes, and you lose it."

Mary started to crack up laughing. She leaned on Frank, who held her up with one arm. "I'll see you guys later," Alice said suddenly.

"Bye," Remus said.

"Alice..." Frank trailed off, but Alice was already gone.

Remus cleared his throat as Mary started swirling around in her spot. Frank shook his head, meeting Remus's eyes. "Girls," he said.

* * *

Sirius was sitting on the back porch with a firewhiskey and Marlene McKinnon. Marlene was drinking as well. "Aren't your parents here?" Sirius asked.

"Never stopped my brothers," Marlene said. "They know I'm not going to get pissed, though."

"That makes one of us," Sirius said. He swigged a drink from his bottle, its contents warming his throat as it went down. It was freezing outside, but the two of them had decided it was too loud inside. It had been an hour or so, and people were beginning to lose themselves. A great opportunity to forget all that was going on in their world. He had seen Uncle Alphard; he had been pissed as well. He was telling Sirius how proud he was of his nephew, how just the other day he heard that Bellatrix had become a Death Eater, and Lucius Malfoy was chasing after You-Know-Who, and Regulus had gotten into trouble with Rosier and Mulciber. Sirius took another long drink, closing his eyes.

"I like your aunt," Marlene said evenly. "She invited us last year."

"Yeah?" Sirius said. "She admires your dad."

"She should join the club," Marlene said.

"Her family hates her for associating with people like you," Sirius said. "Well, and because she married a Muggleborn."

"People like me?" Marlene repeated.

"You know what I mean," Sirius said with a wave of his hand.

Marlene paused. "People like you, too," she said.

Sirius closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "Right," he said. "I've made the switch from pureblooded arse to Muggle-loving fool."

"Well, you're still an arse," Marlene said.

Sirius smirked. He took another drink. It would take him a few more bottles to make him indifferent about Regulus's arrest.

* * *

"Remus, you seen Frank?" James asked.

"He left to take Mary home," Remus replied.

"Oh," James said. He leaned against the wall next to Remus, who was eating a Chocolate Frog. He had talked to the McKinnons for a while, danced with his tipsy mum, listened to Uncle Alphard rant on for about twenty minutes, and kissed two girls underneath the mistletoe (but he could only think of Lily Evans). "Having fun?"

"Loads," Remus said wryly.

"Have you danced?" James asked.

Remus narrowed his eyes. "No," he said.

"Come on," James said. "Dance with Marlene."

"She's drinking with Sirius," Remus replied.

James raised his eyebrows. Marlene and Sirius usually didn't get along very well. What did the holidays do to people? "That's not a good sign," he said. "What about that fourth year Ravenclaw? I think Melissa Warbeck is somewhere around here."

"I'm fine, really," Remus said. "Peter's dancing with the Ravenclaw."

"_What_?" James asked. He darted towards the dance floor. He didn't see Wormtail anywhere. He craned his neck around, then saw the Ravenclaw with little Dot by the window seat. He went back to the spot where he had found Remus, but he had escaped.

James rolled his eyes and went searching for some firewhiskey. He needed to get Evans off of his mind.

* * *

At midnight, the Potters finally decided it was time to leave. Andromeda, Herbert, and Martha tracked down the boys. Sirius was having drinking contests with Marlene on the back porch. Andromeda looked at the two of them. "Potters are leaving, Sirius," she said.

"I win," Marlene said.

"No, you don't," Sirius said.

"You forfeit," Marlene said.

"We'll continue this," Sirius said. He stood up. He swayed on the spot, but Andromeda steadied him. "Thank you, Meda. I love you so very much."

Marlene giggled, covering her mouth. Andromeda led Sirius inside, patting him on the back.

Remus and Peter were sitting in the back with Melissa Warbeck. The three of them were trying out different flavors of Bertie Botts Beans, and Remus had just come across a vomit-flavored one as Herbert came over.

James was harder to find, but eventually his mum found him in the study talking with Edgar Bones. She was pleased to see he hadn't been drinking, or if he had, he hadn't drank too much. Unlike her. "Time to go, James," she said with a hiccup.

"Oh," James said, looking disappointed. He and Edgar shook hands. "I'll see you around."

"Good luck," Edgar said. "Stay out of trouble at school."

"I'll try," James winked at him.

His mum tripped down the stairs, but James caught her from falling. She broke into giggles. The six of them got their coats and left the party.

* * *

Please review!

That was an exciting ending, no? What's next for our fearless Marauders? Christmas Day! Then James receives a letter and has the worst day-after-Christmas ever. Also, we see into the love life of Frank Longbottom.

* * *


	7. The First Glass Heart

**Title:** Glass Hearts

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary (for chapter): **Lily sends James a letter, which thoroughly ruins James's Christmas break. Frank thinks about a certain girl named Alice.

--

The smell of bacon stirred Lily awake. She lay in her bed for a moment, rubbing her eyes. She smiled when she realized it was Christmas Day. Even at sixteen, with less presents and less excitement, there was a thrill about the holiday.

Lily climbed out of her bed and walked downstairs. There was a small bundle of presents underneath the tree, and her dad was cooking breakfast. Petunia walked past her to sit on the living room couch. Lily paused before joining her. Petunia looked annoyed for a moment, then put a blank expression on her face.

"Good morning, girls," their dad called from the stove.

The rest of the day went surprisingly well. She was used to holidays being tense and her and Petunia usually arguing. Petunia had gotten her a cute purse and had instantly changed into the outfit Lily had gotten her.

A few owls came in throughout the day. Petunia swatted at one. "Damned things," she said as Lily shot her a nasty look. "Can't your friends just use the postal service?"

Lily rolled her eyes, opening a package from Paul. She found a ring with a lily on it. "How cute," she said.

"Very original," Rose said, smirking. Lily hadn't brought herself to tell her mother about her kiss with James Potter yet. She didn't know what she would think, and could barely accept it herself. Telling someone about it would make it all too real.

Mary, Marlene and Melissa had sent her gifts as well. Smiling, she opened them eagerly and read their letters. She had just started writing them back to thank for the letters and tell them about her break when her dad tossed a package at her. "This came in the post yesterday," he said. "I forgot to give it to you."

Lily sat up, taking the package in her lap. In the post – who had sent this? Perhaps someone else who was Muggleborn or half-blood?

"Look, one of your friends did it," Petunia said. "Can't the rest of them catch on?"

Lily pulled a wrapped box out of the one box, and saw that it had no labeling. She pulled off the silver wrapping paper and opened up a small black box. Inside, on top of a thin cotton sheet, was a small, red, glass heart. She stared at it for a moment, then picked it up and turned it over. On the back, the words '_you have my heart_' were engraved into the glass. Lily searched for the sender, but didn't find it. She hoped this wasn't from Potter, and felt a guilty feeling stirring the bottom of her stomach.

Lily wrote Potter first, a lengthy letter explaining that she still felt nothing for him, and that it had only been a kiss in the Christmas spirit. She started and tore up the letter what seemed thousands of times, but finally wrote it all out over a full piece of paper. She felt like she was writing his death penalty.

After her family made a luscious Christmas feast, however, her feelings of guilt fled with her feelings of hunger.

--

At the Potter house, the four boys were lounging around the living room, full of food and Christmas spirit and sleepy. "I was going to go see Jewel tonight," Sirius said sleepily on the couch. "Surprise her, you know . . . but I think we had too long of a snowball fight."

"It was so funny when you got my dad," James said, grinning. He was sprawled across the ground, in front of the fireplace. Remus was wearing a jumper his mother had sent him and munching on some chocolate Peter had given him.

"What a nice day," Peter said. He was curled up in the armchair, underneath a cushy blanket. "So nice . . . "

"Very, very nice," Remus added. "Sirius, just visit her tonight, at two in the morning."

"I w-w-will," Sirius said through a huge yawn. "I still can't feel my fingers."

"Hell, mate, we came inside an hour ago!" James exclaimed.

"Nah, Remus and I went back out there," Sirius said. "For your mum, getting firewood or something. I told her that it would be wet, but she insisted on it."

Remus never remembered James's mum telling them they needed to go outside for firewood, but he did remember Sirius begging him to come outside with him and keep watch so he could run around as a dog. The things he did for his friends . . . they even had played catch.

"I think I'm in love with Sophie," Peter said from his armchair.

James started laughing on the ground, his laugh held back by the fact that he was on his stomach. His laugh got louder, and Sirius and Remus joined in. "Sophie?" James asked. He laughed louder, rolling unto his back and clutching his stomach.

"This euphoria has obviously made you delirious," Sirius said. "She's a second year, mate." He howled with laughter, nearly falling off of the couch.

After a few minutes, the three of them had calmed down and settled into silence again. Remus looked at Peter from the loveseat, but he was half-asleep and seemed to be a part of the huge armchair himself. "I mean, that long blonde hair," Peter mumbled, and the three of them burst out laughing again. It was a while before they got to sleep, and even longer before Peter lived that down.

--

Juniper told Jewel repeatedly Sirius was going to come see her, was going to visit and their father would give him that look, the look that the two sisters had already dubbed, 'The Sirius Look.' Jewel was convinced Juniper wanted him to visit more than Jewel herself.

It had been a wonderful Christmas. Her grandparents had visited, and she had gotten a beautiful hair clip from Sirius last night. She had bought him a set of quills. She had a new set of dress robes, and two new pairs of pants. After eating too much turkey, she had taken a long nap, then went caroling with her family.

Sirius did not visit, and Juniper seemed more disappointed than Jewel was. She knew he wouldn't, he was wrapped up in boy things and his friends and his new family and turkey and pudding. Warming her fingers by the fire, laughing with Juniper about Bertram Aubrey, Jewel didn't mind in the least.

--

The silence in her house was deafening. Narcissa had moved into Malfoy Manor six months ago after marrying Lucius, and she still hadn't gotten used to the silence. She waved her wand to start up some Christmas carols. She tossed her cloak to the nearest house-elf. "Start a fire up," she told him.

The house wasn't only silent, but lonely. Lucius wasn't an ideal housemate; his conversations were quite boring. She busied herself at her mum's house, shopping, and visiting Bellatrix. Lately, her husband and her sister hadn't been around. She knew where they were. She didn't like it; it was too dangerous, but she wasn't about to tell them that.

It had been the fifth Christmas she hadn't spent with Andromeda, but the first she had spent without Sirius. Sirius had always been a pain, especially lately since all he did was fight with his parents, but he brought a lightness to the Black gatherings. He had a sense of humor while the rest of her relatives had sticks up their arses.

Narcissa sighed, sitting down in one of the armchairs. A letter from Andromeda lay on the stand next to her. She picked it up tenderly, looking at her sister's familiar handwriting. Narcissa couldn't understand why Andromeda didn't understand yet that Narcissa didn't care about her any longer, and had no desire to learn about half-bloods and Mudbloods.

She scoffed, tossing the letter back unto the stand. She cared, whether she liked it or not. She had reveled in the letter and laughed at the jokes and nearly cried at the end when she wrote, '_Love, Your Big Sister Andri_.'

It was six o'clock, and Christmas had been exhausting. First her parent's, then Lucius's parent's. Now Lucius wasn't even there to enjoy the feast she had had the servants prepare. Christmas Day, and he was off serving his precious Voldemort. She should have told him that he was going to regret it. But no, Narcissa wasn't the wife to offer advice or concern, she was the trophy wife, the pureblooded beauty.

Another Christmas, come and gone. Narcissa wished more than ever that she could just run away as Sirius had.

--

The day after Christmas was just about the most horrible day James had ever had. And all because of a letter he had received from an annoying, familiar, small owl. The owl pecked him on the face as he slept and he heard Sirius yelling, "Oi, Prongs, you've got an owl!" He was then swiftly kicked in the side and that woke him up much more than the owl.

He now sat in his room, on his bed, reading Lily's letter again. Peter, Remus and Sirius were having breakfast, being loud downstairs. Remus had caught him reading a letter, but had not said anything.

__

James,

I hope you're having a good Christmas break. We all needed a break from school, right?

_Anyway, I just wanted to apologize about the kiss under the mistletoe. It meant nothing, really, I was just caught up in the moment. I didn't want to be late to class, and I know you would never let me live it down if I didn't kiss you. But I also know now you'll never let me live it down that I __did__ kiss you. That's not the point, though. I'm still going out with Paul, who I'm sure you know, as he is on your Quidditch team. I still don't have any feelings for you, James. I'm sorry I kissed you at all and that I lead you on with it, but it was just some fun and games. Just the Christmas spirit, you know?_

_You __have__ improved since last year. You don't follow me to all of my classes or ask me out whenever it's humanly possibly. At first, it was rather flattering. But really, it's just frightening now. I appreciate all you do for me, like sticking up for me when I get insulted by Slytherins and such, but I am sixteen years old (almost seventeen) and I can handle myself. I just don't feel the same way about you that you feel about me, or even close. I think we've gotten to know each other a bit more since the beginning of sixth year, and I think it would be fine if we just stayed acquaintances._

__

There are lots of fish in the sea, James. There are a lot of girls that really like you at Hogwarts. I think it's just time for you to move on. I know I've said this to you before, but I still mean it, just as much as I said it before. I don't want you to hurt yourself by still liking me, because there's really nothing on this side of our relationship, if you want to call it that. You really ought to think about Juniper Mufflet, I hear she sort of fancies you. You and Sirius could go on double dates and all, you know?

Well, I suppose I'd better go. Have good holiday, and I'll see you at school.

_Lily_

James flopped down back unto his bed. Could his life get any worse?

The door burst open and Sirius, Remus and Peter came in. Sirius trudged through all of the things on the ground. The room was filthy, due to four boys staying in the house. Sirius had a bedroom of his own, what used to be the spare bedroom, but over break, the four of them had stayed in this room for the most part. Sirius jumped on the bed next to James, his face and hands covered in chocolate pudding.

"What's all over your face?" James asked, sitting up cautiously.

Sirius saw the letter in James's hand and grabbed it. "Hey!" James yelled.

"Ooh, what's this?" Sirius asked. "It's a love letter, isn't it? From Evans, isn't it?"

"Give that back!" James said, chasing Sirius around the room. "Get your chocolate-y fingers off of it!"

"James," Sirius said in a high-pitched voice. "Dearest James, I have only just decided my undying love for you, and I'm coming over so that we can make passionate love and have thousands of little James!"

"Give it back!" James yelled. He tackled him down, stumbling over Remus's cot and the two of them started wrestling and pounding each other.

"A bit sensitive, aren't we?" Sirius asked, laughing as he pinned James down. James had chocolate all over his clothes and his face and it was on his letter, the only letter Lily Evans had ever sent him, despite the thousands he had written to her, but never sent – well, he had sent about a hundred of them.

A string of swear words emitted from James's mouth and he tackled Sirius down again. Curse the gods who had brought Sirius Black into his life. Curse the gods who had brought chocolate into the world. He didn't even know where the letter was, and he was going to pummel his smug little face in . . .

"Boys!" Mrs. Potter yelled from the doorway. She had her hands on her hips and looked stern. "This room is a mess, and you're not helping! There's chocolate everywhere! What are you fighting about?"

"He stole my letter and got chocolate pudding all over it!" James said in a tattling voice.

"Shove off, I did not!" Sirius exclaimed. "Martha, I swear I didn't! You know James, he's a compulsive liar –"

James fumbled through clothes and books for his letter, and he found . . . the first half of it. The parchment was ripped through the word _flattering_. He found two other parts of it and turned to look at Sirius. "You _ripped_ it!" he yelled.

"If you hadn't attacked me –" Sirius began, but he never got to finish. James had tackled him down again and they were wrestling, right in front of his mother and he didn't care. The only letter she had ever sent him, the only time she had probably ever called him by his first name, with her straight handwriting and her name at the bottom of it.

"James!" Martha yelled. She separated them with a charm, looking sternly from one to the other.

"Mum, you always take his side!" James exclaimed.

"Sirius, Remus, I want you two to clean Sirius's room, it's a mess in there," Martha said. "James and Peter, I want this room cleaned by the time I have breakfast ready."

"But –" Sirius began.

"No buts," Martha said firmly. "You two are acting like children. Go on, Sirius! You, too, Remus!"

The two boys left as though Martha had suddenly become their Headmaster. James picked up the remnants of his letter and sat on the bed. Martha walked in the room as best as she could and sat on the bed next to him. "Peter, will you run and clean yourself up?" she asked. Peter also had chocolate on him and on his clothes.

Peter just nodded, bustling out of the room. Martha pointed her wand at James's letter and said, "_Reparo_."

James was silent for a moment, then said, "Thanks. I wish I could do magic on break."

"Next summer you can," Martha reminded him. "Is this from Lily?"

James only nodded. He couldn't bear to look at his mother, with her look of pity, as she usually looked when she mentioned Lily.

"What did she say?" Martha asked.

James shrugged. "Nothing important," he said, staring at the chocolate stains over Paul's name. "Mum, I should get to cleaning and all . . ."

Martha ruffled up James's hair, standing up. "Yes, you better," she said. She reached the door. "I'll have breakfast ready in about thirty minutes." She paused, and James finally looked up at his mum. The look on her face was not one of pity, but she was smiling at him.

"What?" James asked grumpily.

"You and Sirius," Martha said. "One would think you've been brothers all your life."

"I'm glad we weren't," James said, kicking one of Sirius's magazines away from him. "Stupid prat."

Martha let out a cheerful chuckle, then started to leave the room. "Get to work, young man," she called back at him.

--

Frank watched the snow fall lazily outside of his window. It was a few days after Christmas, but he couldn't stop thinking about seeing Alice at the party.

"Frank, did you clean the family room?" he heard his mum yell up at him.

"Yeah," Frank bellowed back.

He heard her footsteps up the steps and he groaned. She knocked on the door, but opened it before he responded, as she always did. "It doesn't look clean," she said.

"Mum, it's clean," Frank said. "I spent twenty minutes on it."

Augusta Longbottom raised her eyebrows. She paused, scrutinizing Frank's response. "All right," she said. "I want you to look at it after dinner."

"Okay," Frank said.

August left the room, closing the door behind her. He sighed. He loved his parents, but he couldn't wait to get out of here. On the other hand, it meant he had to become a responsible adult. The admittance for Auror training started mid-August, then he had three more years after that. He wanted to be fighting now.

And that only made him think about Alice more.

_It was a sunny day in Diagon Alley. Frank walked around the cafes, looking for something he felt like eating. He saw a familiar girl bent over a book. He walked over to her. "Hey, Alice Hodge," he said._

__

Alice looked up, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Hi, Frank," she said with a bright smile. "Sit down."

Frank sat down next to her. "How are you?" he asked.

"I came to work with my mum today," Alice said with a roll of her eyes. "And I'm bored, so I decided to get some fresh air."

"Yeah, me too," Frank said. Their parents had been friends for years; they worked in adjacent shops. His mum was an assistant in Madam Malkin's and her parents were the owners of Flourish & Blotts. He remembered little Alice Hodge hiding behind her mum, and then becoming a little less shy after knowing the Longbottoms for years.

"How are you enjoying your holidays?" Alice asked.

"They're great," Frank said. "Hey, hold on a minute, I'm going to get something to eat."

Although the two of them didn't usually talk much at school, they sat there for hours. Frank ate two hamburgers and three orders of chips. He bought Alice and himself milkshakes. They talked about school, Quidditch, the war. He had never gotten along with a girl so well. Alice was usually quiet and shy. When he passed her in the halls at school, she met his eyes for a moment with a small smile on her face, and she hung out with her Hufflepuff friends. Now, though, she was friendlier and more easy-going.

"Hey, you should come back tomorrow," Frank said.

"Should I?" Alice asked.

Frank nodded. "I know it's really boring, but maybe we can do this again," he said.

Alice smiled, looking down at her lap. "Okay," she said. "I think that'll work."

They met at the cafes every day for the rest of the week, eating lunch together and then talking for an hour or so afterwards. On Saturday, Frank came to the cafes with empty pockets. "I'm out of money," he confessed. "But my dad did get tickets to the Arrows-Wasps game tomorrow. Maybe you can come with us."

A look of shock came unto Alice's face. "Seriously?" she asked.

"Seriously," Frank repeated.

Alice let out a laugh. "Cool!" she exclaimed. "I'd love to go!"

The Quidditch game was so much fun. Frank's dad had bought popcorn and candy for them, and they all cheered for the Arrows. They made up their own victory dance after they caught the snitch and won 300-200. Afterwards, Alice and Frank went to Paul Brendell's house. They sat around and played games and listened to the Weird Sisters and complained about school.

It was two weeks later when they were in Alice's backyard, looking up at the stars. "And that's Draco," Alice said. She was leaning towards him, her hair tickling his neck, her flowery scent filling his nostrils. "You see it?"

"Yeah," Frank said.

He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Alice. "How do you know all these?" he asked.

"My mum taught me most of them," Alice said. "We used to come out here all the time. My mum had this tent with an enchanted ceiling, like the Great Hall, and you could see all the stars."

"You don't do it anymore?" he asked.

Alice shrugged, looking up at the dark sky. "She's busy with work," she said. "Business isn't what it was before the war started, and dad's working a lot, too."

"What does your dad do again?" Frank asked.

"He works in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Alice said. "But with veelas and dementors on You-Know-Who's side, he's always stressed..."

"I know what you mean," Frank said. His dad was on the Magical Law Enforcement Squad, and he worked long hours.

Alice paused. "It's freaky," she said. "This war. I mean...just the other week, my cousin was killed in a vampire attack."

"Your cousin?" Frank repeated. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Alice shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "I sometimes...reconsider becoming an Auror," she said.

"Why?" Frank said. "You'd be an amazing Auror."

"You're just saying that," Alice said.

"No, I'm not," Frank said. He touched her hand, and chills went up his spine. "You're...you're brave and smart. You'd do great."

Alice paused. "What if I mess up?" she asked.

"Alice," Frank said with a serious tone. "I'll be an Auror, too, so I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

There was a moment of silence. The summer breeze blew past them, her hair nearly getting in his mouth. He could hear his heart trying to escape his throat. She wrapped her hand around his, their fingers entwining. "You promise?" she said quietly.

_"I promise," Frank replied. He leaned down a little bit. She turned her head to look into his eyes, and he kissed her._

There was a banging on Frank's door, interrupting his thoughts. "_What_?" he said. Of course his family had to come when he was thinking about one of the greatest nights of his life.

Augusta swung the door open. "There's a _girl_ downstairs," she said. "I think it's that one you're dating."

"Mary?" Frank asked, getting off of his bed.

In his living room downstairs, Mary sat on the couch, petting his mum's cat. She looked out of place in his house. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Mary stood up with a big smile on her face. "I wanted to see you," she said. "I thought I'd surprise you."

Frank stared at her as though she had grown an extra head. His mother walked into the room, a disapproving look on her face. "Mum, this is Mary," he said. "Mary, meet my mother, Augusta Longbottom."

"Hi," Mary said brightly. "Happy Christmas!"

Augusta nodded curtly. She gave Frank a look that clearly said, '_Get her out of here_.'

"I was actually wondering if you wanted to come to a New Year's party at my house tonight," she said.

"It's New Year's Eve?" Frank asked. "Oh, hell, it is. Mum, can I go?"

"You're of age," Augusta said shortly. "Just be back by one."

"Cool!" Mary exclaimed. "Well, it starts at ten. Do you want to go get some dinner beforehand?"

Frank paused. He hated how Mary sprung things like this on him all the time. He really enjoyed her company, but he was starting to think she was too much for him. "Let's go up to my room, and I'll see if I have any money," he said.

"Okay," Mary said.

The two of them walked upstairs, and Frank still couldn't get Alice out of his head.

--

**A/N:** Sorry that took me a while to post! Thank you for the reviews! Keep reviewing, please, I love the feedback :)

Next chapter (which I'll post before I go to Europe in July woot) our characters trek through Mary's New Years Eve party. James copes with being in the same house with Lily, we find out a few dark secrets about Mary's family, Frank and Alice talk, but the party does not end well when the war rears its ugly head shortly after midnight.


	8. Gillyweed and Death

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Spin the bottle, gillyweed, confessions, and a Dark Mark.

--

The house was relatively full; it looked like Mary had invited most of sixth and seventh years - save for the Slytherins, of course. Mary's house was full of Quidditch posters, memorabilia, and gear. James had been excited for the party because he loved her brothers and dad, but halfway into the living room, he saw a head of long red hair. James spun around and grabbed Sirius's arm in a deathgrip. "You didn't tell me Evans was going to be here!" he snarled.

"How was I supposed to know?" Sirius asked, shoving him off. "Look, I'm sure Mary will have plenty of firewhiskey. You can forget that stupid letter."

James felt like he was going to be sick. Remus grabbed one of his arms, and Sirius the other. The four of them walked to the drinks table. "Mary, we let ourselves in," Sirius called to the hostess of the party.

"Hi, guys!" Mary said brightly.

Jewel walked over to Sirius and touched him on the arm. "I didn't know you'd be here," she said.

"Me, neither," Sirius replied, then kissed her on the cheek.

James turned to Remus. He was going to throw up. He was going to spew all over Mary's nice floor and Jewel's green shirt and Sirius's perfect hair. "Remus, please, let's go," he said. "I can't be in the same house as her."

"Get a grip," Sirius said loudly. He looked around for a moment, then yelled at Mary, "You don't have any mistletoe up, do you?"

"Heavens no," Mary yelled back at him.

"I think I might actually like her," Sirius said.

"You're always sucking up to her brothers," Peter said temperately.

"Hey, I don't remember asking you," Sirius said. He wrapped his arm around Jewel. "I need to get away from these three."

"We love you, too, Sirius," Remus said as they walked off. Yet another party. Why had he agreed to come, anyway?

--

For having thrown this party together last minute, Mary didn't think it was going too badly. She had sent a few owls out, gathered up some food and drinks, and got her dad to get a band to come. They arrived late, but they were soon playing a few rock tunes. Mostly sixth and seventh years had showed up.

She was making the rounds, butterbeer in hand. In the living room, there was a crazy game of spin the bottle going on. Candace has just pulled away from kissing Kingsley Shacklebolt. Mary sat down next to Juniper Mufflet. "I'm playing," she announced.

Kingsley spun the bottle and the tip fell on Sirius. The latter held up his hands. "Hey, I do a lot of things, but that is not one of them," Sirius said.

"What?" Juniper asked. "You made me and Debra kiss each other!"

"I didn't make you do anything," Sirius said. "I just strongly suggested it."

"It's okay, really," Kingsley said, looking relieved. He spun again, and when the bottle stopped spinning, it pointed towards Jewel. Kingsley glanced towards Sirius. "May I?"

Sirius shrugged, his eyes on Jewel. Jewel gave him a sly smile, then leaned towards Kingsley. They pecked on the lips. "That is so weird," Mary said. "How can you just let her kiss another guy?"

Sirius replied with a second shrug. "It's called trust," he said.

Mary rolled her eyes. "Spin it again," she said.

After a few eventful spins, Mary moved on. The rock band wasn't playing anymore, but smoking gillyweed in her basement. James Potter had joined them. "Lily problems again?" Mary asked, sitting on James's lap.

"You have no idea," James said in a slow voice.

"Aren't you glad I don't have any mistletoe here?" Mary asked.

"Oh, yeah," James said.

Mary took the rolled up gillyweed from his hand and inhaled a little bit. She had only smoked gillyweed twice before, so she coughed a little bit. What she did get she felt go through her muscles, relaxing her. This stuff did a wonder. The first time she smoked it, she puked her guts out. The next time, though, was one of the craziest nights of her life.

The musicians were a few years older than them, and all of them were pretty good-looking. After a few more drags, she felt totally at ease, no cares in the world. Sure, there was a war, but they would all get out alive. Her brother would be let go, the ministry mistaken about his sketchy behavior. It would be over soon. They would look back on this and laugh.

The guys seemed even hotter, but she had a feeling they weren't interested. One of the guys was strumming his guitar, another was absorbed in his gillyweed, and the third was talking about the war with James.

"My sister died last week," the musician said.

"What?" James asked, as though he had never heard the word 'die' before.

"Yeah," he said. "It's easier to understand when I'm smoking."

"Man," Mary said. She was still on James's lap, practically laying on him. She felt like all of her muscles were sleeping, and James's heartbeat against her chest was kind of comforting, knowing someone else lived with her. "I'm sorry."

"How?" James asked.

"Death Eater attack," the musician said. "Her best friend was a Muggleborn, and they were together."

"Bloody hell," James said.

"We didn't talk much," the musician said.

Mary thought about her friends, her family, and the war. Her parents, clueless. Her brother, in Azkaban. Her friends, Gryffindors against the war. "Makes you wonder who's gonna die next," she said.

There was a moment of silence. It was too heavy for Mary. She sat up. Her whole body felt heavy. "Is there any more gillyweed?" she asked.

The guy with the dead sister shook his head. "Brian smoked it all," he said.

She floated up to the third floor, looking around for Frank. She found Lily and Paul talking in the hallway, sitting up against the wall. "You guys seen Frank?" she asked.

Lily paused, glancing around. "He was around here, but I think he went back downstairs," she said.

"Mmm," Mary said.

"You okay?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," Mary said, walking back downstairs. She saw Frank sitting at the kitchen table. There was some girl sitting with him, but Mary couldn't remember her name right now...some Hufflepuff...

Mary stumbled over to the table and sat down next to Frank. "Hey," she said.

"Hi," Frank said, looking a little uncomfortable.

"I just have to tell someone," she said, feeling reckless. "My brother's in Azkaban."

"What?" Frank asked. "Why?"

"Sketchy behavior," Mary said. "Some Death Eater friend. He was at some attack site...I don't know, they won't give us all the details." She sighed. She felt like there had been a load lifted off of her shoulders. She leaned down, putting her face on the table. She felt Frank's hand on her shoulder and let out tears she had held back for weeks.

--

Alice sat at the table, unsure of what to do. Her and Frank had been talking...it had been going really well until Mary came in. And now she was crying. Frank patted her shaking shoulders, his forehead wrinkled in concern.

"I should go," Alice said.

"Wait," Frank said.

Alice stood up, taking her jacket and purse. She shouldn't have come to this party at all. What was she thinking?

"Alice," Frank said, standing up.

Mary looked up, sniffling, a confused look on her face. Alice realized she had probably been smoking gillyweed with James and the band. She had made the mistake of venturing into the basement, but it hadn't taken her long to leave. "Thanks for the party, Mary," Alice said. "I'm just going to Floo home."

"Don't leave," Frank said.

"I shouldn't have even come," Alice said, pulling her jacket on. "Look, don't worry about it. It's fine - everything's fine, okay?"

"I want to keep talking," Frank said.

Alice hated that look on his face, like he didn't want anything else in the world but her. "Goodnight," she said. She left the kitchen and walked towards the living room where the fireplace was.

He followed her, taking her arm. "Wait," he said.

"Frank, you have a girlfriend in there," Alice said, pulling away from him.

"I don't want you to leave," Frank said quietly. "Look, I meant what I said, all of it."

Others in the room were watching the two of them. They probably had no idea that they were even friends, much less...involved. At least that's what Alice would call it. Frank was convinced they were in love. _In love_ - then why hadn't he talked to her the last four months of school?

Alice gave him a glare and turned to start a fire in the fireplace. He took her arm again. "Alice, come on," he said. "How about I walk you home? Your parents won't have their Floo up this late."

"No," Alice said. She hadn't actually thought of that. She would have to Floo to the nearest pub. "No, it's fine. I'll walk home myself."

"Let me get my coat," Frank said.

When he turned to leave, Alice started the fire with her wand. He was back before she could Floo out. "What about Mary?" she whispered.

"I told her," Frank said. "Don't worry about her. I'm not letting you walk home alone."

"Happy New Year!" Sirius said, raising his pumpkin juice.

Alice blushed when she saw how many people were watching the two of them. She turned to the fire and Flooed, saying, "_The Three Broomsticks_."

--

"That was interesting," Sirius said, his eyebrows raised. "Frank Longbottom and Alice Hodge?"

"Just about as interesting as Frank Longbottom and Mary MacDonald," Marlene said as she walked into the kitchen.

Sirius was enjoying himself. Jewel was laying on the couch, her feet in his lap. They had played too many games of spin the bottle; Sirius had kissed Candace, Debra, Mary, and, of course, Jewel. His bottle had landed on Marlene, but she had refused to kiss him. He was almost offended. Almost. They had also complained about school endlessly and played around on some of the band's instruments. Now the band was sleeping off their gillyweed. Sirius had no idea where his friends were, but after spending almost all of the last four months with them, he really didn't care.

"It's almost 1977," he said.

"Yep," Jewel said with a yawn. "Are we going over to your place after this?"

Sirius smirked at her. "If you want me to get kicked out, sure," he said.

"You can live with me," Jewel said.

Sirius let out a laugh like a bark. "Your dad hates me," he said.

"He hates anyone who's trying to shag his little girl," Jewel said.

"Shag?" Sirius repeated. "I've never heard the word."

Jewel grinned, kicking his knee. "I'm sure you haven't," she said.

--

"Why do you have to do this?" Alice turned on Frank as soon as they had gotten out of The Three Broomsticks, which was full of people celebrating the coming new year.

"Do what?" Frank asked.

"This!" Alice exclaimed. "We haven't talked for four months, but suddenly you see me at a Christmas party and you want to be with me again and everything that happened during the summer actually meant something to you?"

"I was freaked out," Frank said defensively.

Alice started walking down the street towards her house. It was freezing. She pulled her coat close to her, walking against the wind. It didn't help that she was angry with Frank, either. She would have been fine thinking they just weren't going to work out, even though it killed her inside every day. She was moving on, slowly, but surely. But now, he had to say all of these things.

"Alice," Frank said. "I was freaked out. I fell in love with you, and it was too much for me. I didn't know what to do."

"Well, breaking up with me wasn't the best choice!" Alice exclaimed. "I mean, technically we were never going steady -"

"I was stupid," Frank said.

Alice stopped abruptly, looking up at Frank. He was a few inches taller than her. She had gotten used to craning her neck a little bit to look into his eyes. "I don't think you should be telling me any of this until you break it off with Mary," she said. "I don't care what you have to say while you have a girlfriend."

"But I -" Frank began.

"Break up with Mary," Alice said, "and then if you tell me how much you love me, I might listen."

Frank paused. He began to nod. "I can do that," he said.

Alice's face fell. She stared at him for a moment. "You're going to break up with her?" she asked.

"Isn't that what you just asked me to do?" Frank asked.

Alice's toes were going numb. "Let's get inside and talk," she said. She turned just as she heard a scream. Then they saw it: the Dark Mark, that green hovering skull with the snake wrapped around it. Against the starry night, it looked sinister. It was a few blocks again, but they could see it clearly.

"Oh, my god," Alice said, her insides going cold.

The two of them took out their wands at the same time. Alice started running towards her house. She turned left, her heart pounding. She turned again, and she realized it was hovering over her home. "Oh, my god!" she yelled. She ran faster, but Frank grabbed her, flinging her back.

"Wait!" he said. "You don't know if there are Death Eaters in there!"

"I don't care!" Alice yelled. "Someone in there is dead!"

The neighbors were coming out. People were yelling, others were staring in shock. Alice fought against Frank frantically, but he was nearly twice his size. "Alice, it's not safe!" he said.

"Just let me go!" Alice shrieked. Her mind raced over all the horrible possibilities: her mom, her dad, her younger brother, her grandparents.

Frank must have done the typical alert to the Aurors, because soon they were Apparating onto the street. She recognized at least one of them; he went running into her house. She was tired of fighting, so she stopped struggling as much, tears falling down her cheeks. "Alice, it's going to be okay," Frank said, holding her tight against him.

There were a few minutes of dead silence as the Aurors scanned the house. Alice felt her heart slamming against her chest. After a few shots of purple light, someone called out to them, "It's safe."

Alice broke free from Frank's arms, running inside as fast as her legs would allow her to go. She found one of the Aurors standing over two bodies; her brother and her grandmother.

--

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"

Mary's party erupted into cheers and applause after counting down with the WWN. Jewel grabbed Sirius's face, kissing him on the mouth. Mary had fallen asleep in the kitchen. James was wiped out next to her, so he was spared the sight of Lily and Paul kissing. A few other people were kissing, others were hugging, cheering, drinking. They had survived another year.

About fifteen minutes after midnight, someone came into the front door, yelling.

"Alice! Alice, where's Alice?"

It was a middle-aged man with a round face. James and Mary woke up, but neither of them had any idea where they were or who Alice was. "Where is she?" he demanded.

Sirius walked over to the man. "Hey, Alice left about thirty minutes ago," he said. "She Flooed to The Three Broomsticks."

The man paled. "The Three Broomsticks?" he said. "She was going home? Who'd she go with?"

"Frank Longbottom," Sirius replied. "What's wrong?"

"It's - we've been...attacked," the man said. He looked frantic. "My son and my mother, they were killed. I...I..." he broke down, holding his head in his hands. "I tried to help, I tried, but then we just...we had to go, me and my wife and my dad...it was just - it happened so fast. It should have been me instead."

The party had taken a sudden turn. Everyone stared at this grown man crying and trying to explain to Sirius his guilt and helplessness. There was shock and fear on their faces. Some of the kids were buzzed, but everyone understood what was going on. Death.

"Look," Sirius said. He swallowed, unsure of what to say. He put his hand on the man's shoulder. "How about we Floo to The Three Broomsticks and I help you find Alice? Let's go make sure she's safe."

Sirius grabbed his coat from the kitchen and led the man to the fireplace. He nodded to Remus. "Stay here 'til I get back," he said.

Remus nodded. "You want me to come?" he asked.

"No, make sure James doesn't do anything too stupid," Sirius said. He started up a fire and threw in some Floo Powder. They couldn't enjoy one bloody holiday.

--

**A/N: **The credit for the idea of smoking gilyweed goes all to Project Shoebox, not my own clever mind.

I'll be gone for all of July, but expect the next chapter in August. Remus is glad to be back at Hogwarts, Sirius talks with his brother, Frank and Mary come to a decision, Lily reflects on James's response to the letter, and someone's head is hexed to twice its normal size. Find out who in the next installment of...Glass Hearts!

Please review :)


	9. Not Half Bad

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (Of Chapter): **The students return to Hogwarts after Christmas break. Lily is worried about James's reaction to the letter, Sirius argues with his brother, Mary hates sixth year, and Aubrey finally gets what's coming to him.

--

Remus had never been more grateful to return to Hogwarts. Perhaps James would go back to semi-normal with so many opportunities at his will and maybe Sirius's icy behavior would be easier to bear once he started spending more time with Jewel. And he was relieved to be distracted from them with homework.

On Platform 9 ¾, James had hid behind Remus the entire time getting on and off the Express, determined to avoid Lily Evans. Peter was complaining about the mounds of homework that was sure to pile up within the next few weeks, but was all too glad when he realized there was still snow on the castle grounds.

At the first prefect meeting, Lily had agreed to walk with Remus to the prefect room early, because neither of them wanted to risk being late, as Talia had two prefect meetings ago. Remus was reading a book while James, Peter and Sirius huddled around the Marauder's Map behind his armchair. Lily walked over to them, a book in her hands. "Hey, Remus," she said.

James jumped a mile at the sound of her voice, and made a sound that sounded like a dying lawn mower. He turned his head a bit more, pretending to be scratching the back of his neck, and lowered his whisper to Peter.

"Hi, Lily," Remus said, getting up. "I'll see you guys later. Prefect meeting."

"Have fun," Sirius said, not looking up.

The two of them left the common room and Lily looked thoughtful as she set off for the prefect room. "How was your holiday?" she asked.

"It was pretty good," Remus said. "Well, that new year's party kind of sucked."

Lily nodded in agreement. "I can't believe Alice came back to school," she said. "I would have stayed home."

"Maybe she was just reminded of them in that house," Remus suggested.

They walked up a staircase in silence. "I didn't think of that," Lily said sadly.

Remus noticed he thought about a lot of things others his age didn't. "Has anyone you ever known died in the war, Remus?" Lily asked.

"A distant aunt and her family," Remus answered. "I only met them once, but my mum cried for days."

"It's odd," Lily said. "When I go home, it's a different world. I almost forget the war's going on."

"Have you told your parents?" Remus asked.

"Small details," Lily replied. "I don't want to worry them."

Remus remembered as his dad slowly learned about the war and wizarding culture along the same time Remus had. _"But mum, why did he kill him? What's wrong with being Muggleborn?"_

They walked into the prefect room. Bertram Aubrey and Melissa Warbeck were already there, as well as a handful of other prefects. Lily walked to Melissa, giving her a warm smile. Remus took a seat on the couch by the statue of Helga Hufflepuff.

Lily sat down by Remus. "So..." she trailed off. She paused. "I'm terrified for Paul. Their first Quidditch practice is tomorrow . . . "

"That might be a problem," Remus said, nodding. Lily looked alarmed, so Remus continued, "Don't worry. Paul's a lot bigger than James. He won't let him push him around."

"I just feel horrible," Lily said. "I never should have kissed him . . . "

"Don't worry about it," Remus told her. "James is just embarrassed."

Lily nodded. "Right," she said.

Aubrey called the meeting to order. Remus sighed. Of all the things he had missed over break, Aubrey was the least of them.

--

Remus was all too correct in his presumptions. Sirius was back to normal, laughing and scheming and always talking danger with James. James was close to normal, as well, though he refused to be in the same room or corridor with Lily Evans if at all possible. This made his meals very short, and he was rarely seen in the common room or library. In classes with Lily, he laughed too loudly at Sirius's jokes, made it too obvious that he was trying to make fun of Snape, and seemed to avoid Lily's eyes at all costs. Other than awkward behavior that his friends were sort of used to, James was making new inventions, exploring the castle anew, and planning the next monthly adventure.

Sirius walked back from a long Quidditch practice. They were only practicing once a week, but today's practice had gone on for two hours. James was still in the locker room showering.

He massaged his neck as he walked up the steps to Gryffindor Tower. He saw Regulus walking towards him. He hadn't talked to his brother since before Christmas break. He cleared his throat, nodding to Regulus. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," Regulus said. "How's it going?"

"Long Quidditch practice," Sirius shrugged. They met each other and shook hands, as if they were acquaintances rather than brothers.

"You're telling me," Regulus said. "We're practicing three times a week."

"Well, Ravenclaw's not too bad this year," Sirius said.

"They beat Hufflepuff by two hundred," Regulus said.

Sirius nodded. He knew that, of course. Him and James had mapped out each point in Quidditch. "How were your holidays?" he asked.

"Oh, like you didn't hear," Regulus said with a roll of his eyes.

"Uncle Alphard told me about you and Rosier and Mulciber," Sirius said, his voice tight.

Regulus nodded, avoiding his eyes. "When'd you see Uncle Alphard?" he asked.

"Andromeda's Christmas party," Sirius said. He remembered getting pissed with Marlene. She wasn't so bad, really. Just annoying most of the time.

There was a moment of silence. "What were you thinking?" Sirius asked. "Those guys are scumbags."

"It was nothing," Regulus said.

"The hell it was," Sirius said, his voice raising. "Uncle Alphard said you were on an attack site with someone. Someone died that night, Regulus."

"I didn't do anything," Regulus shot back. "It was just a stupid. . .we were just hanging out, and then they were being stupid, okay?"

Sirius didn't like to think about his younger brother and the path he was going down very often, because it usually put him in a bad mood for at least a week. There were a variety of things about which he had trained himself to become indifferent, but Regulus was not one of them. "Why do you even hang out with them?" Sirius asked.

"They're my friends," Regulus said.

Sirius gripped his broomstick, wanting to hit him over the head with it.

"You act like its all Slytherins," Regulus said. "But MacDonald's brother was there - he got arrested, too."

"Mary MacDonald?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Regulus said. "And the only reason you're not there is because of Potter."

"No," Sirius snapped, "I'm not there because it's wrong. People don't deserve to die just because they were born into a different family than us!"

"They're polluting our blood!" Regulus exclaimed. "Doesn't our purity mean anything to you? Or is the only thing you care about you and your stupid friends?"

Sirius seethed, glaring at him. "You're an idiot," he said harshly. He turned, beginning to walk off. "I'm leaving before I hex you."

"Yeah, leave," Regulus snarled. "That's what you do best, isn't it?"

Sirius turned around to shoot his brother a venomous look. "That's what I said!" Regulus said. "That running away is your talent. That's what you did last summer, that's what you'll do for the rest of your life!"

Regulus turned away and started walking away. Sirius stared at his back in anger and revulsion. He left, too, walking towards Gryffindor Tower. This would do nothing for his good mood.

--

Frank and Mary sat in the corner of the common room. Mary was trying to figure out Charms. "Only two weeks in, and I'm lost," she said, shaking her head.

"Mary," Frank said. He hesitated.

Mary looked up after a moment of silence. Oh, god, was he going to do what she thought he was going to do?

"I think we should just be friends," Frank said.

Mary's shoulders slumped. "What?" she said weakly.

Frank shrugged. "I don't know if this is working out," he said.

"Bullocks," Mary said, putting her Charms book down. "It's Alice Hodge, isn't it?"

Frank's eyes widened. Mary scoffed. "Like I don't know," she said. "Everyone told me about the two of you at my party."

Frank sighed, looking uncomfortable. This was unbelievable. This was _not_ what she needed right now. They were still questioning her brother. Her dad was an imbecile, completely avoiding the fact that his son had been caught up in Dark Magic. Charms was killing her. She hated Slytherins. She just wanted this war to be over.

"It's not just that," Frank said.

"Forget it," Mary said.

"Mary, I really care about you," Frank began.

Mary held her hands up. "Whatever," she said. "I'm so bloody stressed right now."

"Yeah, I didn't want to. . .do this now," Frank said.

"But you did," Mary said shortly. She put her head in her hands, her mind racing. Alice Hodge? What did she have that Mary didn't? Was it because Frank felt sorry for her? Didn't Professor Flitwick know she wouldn't be able to pass sixth year? Couldn't she have been born into a Muggle family like Lily, her loved ones untouched by You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters? And how could her brother be so stupid? He didn't get it, did he?

She felt tears sting her eyes. She didn't want to cry, but it was coming. She didn't want Frank to think she was crying over her.

"Mary?" Frank said gently.

Mary stood up, gathering her things. "I'll see you later," she said.

"Mary," Frank said.

Mary shook her head, walking away. She walked up the stairs. She collapsed unto her bed, crying openly.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked from her bed.

Mary dropped her bag on the ground, shoving her face into her pillow. She felt her bed sink down as Lily sat down next to her. She patted her back.

"What does Alice Hodge have that I don't?" Mary asked, sniffling.

"Alice Hodge?" Lily repeated.

Mary let out a sob. Alice Hodge, of all people...Mary didn't even know she had existed until earlier this year, and now Frank was dumping her for the Hufflepuff?

"I hate Charms," Mary muttered.

--

Remus sat in the library, reading his Transfiguration book. It had been simple since they had gotten back from break, so he was reading ahead a few chapters. He was fortunate to be without his friends, since they were planning a prank for Valentine's Day.

Remus saw Lily walking over to him. She gave him an unsure smile.

"Hey, Remus," Lily said quietly.

"Hi," Remus said. He had only spoken to Lily during prefect meetings because James had been avoiding her at all costs. "How's it going?"

Lily shrugged. "I just ran into James," she said. Her voice faltered. "I didn't think he would take the letter this hard."

Remus cleared his throat. "Mm, no?" he asked.

"No," Lily said, shaking her head. She looked at him, her eyes suddenly bright. "Did he let you read it?"

"Yes," Remus said. "And only me, he made me take a blood oath, swearing I wouldn't tell Sirius or Peter."

"A blood oath?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Sirius is vicious when it comes to this topic," Remus said mildly.

"Do you think I was too harsh?" Lily asked, her eyes wide with worry. "I mean, I knew he would take it hard, but he's really avoiding me. Did it really . . . hurt him?"

Remus paused, pondering this. James was a curious creature when it came to Lily. "I didn't think it would," he said truthfully. "I thought he'd just get over it and go after you again, he's daft like that. But, it seems he's just . . . embarrassed about the whole deal. I think he'll be back to normal soon."

"You said he was 'just' embarrassed three weeks ago," Lily said.

"He was," Remus said.

Lily sighed. She looked down at her open book, with no intention to read. "_Why_ does he like me so much?" she asked. It did not sound like her usual lament, but as though she was genuinely curious for the answer. "I don't understand. No boy has really – _ever_ – been so . . . persistent . . . or dedicated . . ." She chose her words carefully.

Remus had pondered this, also. A lot of people did. There were great things to be said about Lily Evans, of course. It's not like James had even noticed her until the middle of their fifth year, when he realized Lily didn't like him as much as the rest of the girls. But the gradual obsession that had grown since then would stump many scholars for many years.

"I mean, up until the kiss, I've always told him straight out how I felt about him," Lily said. "That he was an arrogant git and I couldn't stand him. My friends told me he wanted what he couldn't have, but _honestly_. . ."

"I'm not quite sure of it myself," Remus said. "I would suggest you ask him, but you don't want him to think anything that's not true. And I doubt he'll pour his heart out to me."

"Not to Sirius, either?" Lily asked, perhaps looking hopeful.

"Definitely not," Remus raised an eyebrow. "Sirius and James don't talk about feelings. Boys don't talk about feelings, unless it's with girls – and that's just . . . slim . . ." Not that he had all the experience in the world, he had never felt it necessary to talk of feelings with anyone, not girls or boys or parents or adults or – anyone. The idea fathomed him; the thought of bearing one's soul to another intrigued and confused him.

"I know that," Lily said impatiently. She looked at Remus with bright eyes. "Why do _you_ think he likes me so much?"

Remus's eyes twitched and he looked at Lily. "What?" he asked.

"Do you know – do you have an idea why he likes me so much?" Lily asked. Her shoulders had tensed, the look on her face was hesitant and she looked as though she wanted to take the question back, but she bit her lip.

_Girls,_ Remus thought. "Um, not really," he said slowly.

"Come on," Lily said. "You've been friends with him for five years."

Remus shrugged helplessly. He just wanted to get back to his Transfiguration. "Maybe he does just want something he can't have," he said.

He regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Lily's face fell a bit; Remus could see the wheels turning in her head. Her theory that James was a complete arse was now confirmed because his best friend agreed.

"So, I'm just a trophy to finish off his perfect life," Lily said with a huff.

"That's not what I mean," Remus said quickly. "That's not what he feels, okay?"

Her green eyes flashed. "Then why?" she asked. "He likes my personality? My sense of humor? Potter doesn't even know me."

Oh, no, she was back to a last name basis.

"Look, I – James is one of my best friends, sure, but – I said boys don't talk about feelings, especially feelings about girls," Remus said. "Right? I said that, we never talk about you, unless we're making fun of him. The closest thing he's ever said to me about you was after I read your letter and he said maybe he was just a bad kisser, and I told him you weren't that shallow and he gave me this real vicious look, as though I should have known that he knew that, like I should have assumed no one knew you better than James – but then why did he ask the question, you know? Sometimes I think James just talks so that he can feel something."

Lily looked away from Remus. "I think he does that, too," she said. "And then he feels something that's not really him, because he was just talking for no reason, but it wasn't really him, either."

Silence fell between them and Remus had never been more confused in his life, except for perhaps when Sirius told him he might consider becoming a rock star.

"I have to do my homework," Lily said quietly. "It doesn't matter. I'm going out with Paul."

Remus nodded, and hoped that Lily had somehow changed her opinion about James, and that he hadn't betrayed James in some weird way, some way unspoken by boys, exposing weaknesses of best friends to red-haired, green-eyed girls.

--

One chilly day, Sirius, Remus, James and Peter were outside, enjoying an afternoon off from classes. Remus had a book with him, as usual. Sirius grabbed the book from him during a moment when the four of them had fallen silent. "Excuse me," Remus said. "I was reading that."

Sirius looked over a few lines. "This is boring," he said, tossing the book away. Remus watched the book fall unto the grass with a strange look on his face. "Come on, let's step stones."

"No, thank you," Remus said, picking up his book.

Sirius rolled his eyes, standing up. So uptight. He picked up a few stones and started throwing them over the water. James and Peter joined in and soon they were hooting and laughing and yelling. They were teasing each other and wrestling and dragging Peter to the icy water when Aubrey strode down to the four of them.

"What's going on down here?" Aubrey said. He looked at Peter, who was red in the face from being held upside down; then at James and Sirius, who were ankle-deep in the water; and lastly, at Remus, who had been reading his book calmly until Aubrey came over. "Lupin, would you like to tell me why you haven't been stopping this nonsense?"

"I wouldn't call it nonsense," Remus said. "They're just having a bit of fun."

"They're going to hurt that boy!" Aubrey exclaimed. "You were doing well for a while, but it seems to me like you're slacking off on your duty again!"

James and Sirius glanced at each other, then nodded. They dropped Peter into the lake in unison and reached for their wands. Together, they cursed Aubrey with the hex they had been talking about the night before and Aubrey's head started to swell up. He stopped yelling at Remus, his eyes widening, and his head was twice its normal size within seconds. Peter, sputtering from the lake, surfaced and burst into laughter. Remus was smiling with no shame.

"Now, boys, you really shouldn't have done that," Remus said, shaking his head at James and Sirius.

"You two will pay for this!" Aubrey exclaimed, and his voice was high and squeaky.

"Is that Professor Flitwick I hear?" Sirius asked as James started to roar with laughter. Sirius started laughing as well.

People passing by pointed and laughed, and prefects did nothing but walk by, until Lily Evans walked out of the castle. She saw the inflated head, and jogged over while Aubrey was taking points away from Gryffindor. Her eyes wide, she stared at the Head Boy. "Aubrey, calm down," she said.

"I will not calm down!" Aubrey squealed. James leaned against the tree, holding his stomach, unphased by Lily's sudden appearance. "Don't you see my head, Evans? I can barely hold it up!"

Lily shook her head. She looked at Sirius and James. "You really give the rest of us Gryffindors a bad reputation," she said.

Sirius wiped tears from his face and said to Lily, "Oh, like you don't enjoy this as much as the rest of us do!"

"What hex did you use for this?" Lily asked, motioning to Aubrey.

"I'm going to find Professor Dumbledore!" Aubrey squeaked. "I'll be surprised if he doesn't expel you!" He started to walk away.

Peter and James burst into fresh laughter and even Remus chuckled. As if they hadn't heard that one before . . .

"Was that – is that the hex that the Ministry made illegal last year?" Lily demanded. "You used an illegal hex on school grounds!"

"Lighten up, Evans," Sirius said tightly. "It's all fun and games, right?"

"It was made illegal for a reason!" Lily exclaimed. "Have you practiced it before? Do you know what you're doing? You could have put Aubrey in great danger!"

"You sound like a badly-written novel," James said. It was the first time James had spoken to Lily since, Sirius suspected, they had been under the mistletoe. He leaned on Sirius, running a hand through his hair. "He deserved it."

Lily stared at James for a moment as though he had grown an extra head, then yelled at him, "Deserved it? No one deserves anything you do to them, James Potter!"

"Who are you to say that?" James asked her, smirking.

"Who are you to say that they do?" Lily yelled. Aubrey had managed his way to the bottom of the steps that led to the front door and was still squeaking angrily and waving his arms.

"Hey," James said, "I know the hexes. It's not my fault people don't have my sense of adventure."

"Sense of adventure?" Lily asked. "That's what you call it, being cruel to people who have done nothing to you?"

"Oi, Evans, it's just a bit of fun," Sirius said. "Well, it wasn't just now, he's a prat – but, usually, we just do it for laughs. You do a lot of the same, right? Have a lot of fun and games with innocent people?" He looked at her sharply, and hoped James didn't pick up on it. Or if he did, that James didn't mind.

Lily stared at Sirius, her angry expression failing for only a moment. "Both of you should be expelled," she said firmly. "You've caused so much trouble here at Hogwarts – you've taken away from learning experiences, and broken so many school rules it's not even funny."

"Oh, Evans, you have no idea," James said, and he winked at her.

Sirius was not the only one surprised or impressed by this transformation James had taken under their very eyes. Only a few hours ago, James had insisted he had a Potions essay to finish and scampered out of the Great Hall when he had seen a familiar flash of red hair.

"I'm going to speak with the headmaster about this," Lily snapped after staring at James in disgust. She turned and walked away in a huff.

Only minutes later, Professor McGonagall came out, yelling. Double detention for the two of them, but Sirius caught the slight smirk on her face when McGonagall said, "You're lucky it deflates within the next hour, or you'd have detention for the rest of the year."

Word of the hex spread like wildfire, and everyone was talking to James and Sirius, asking them about the hex, telling them he deserved it, laughing with each other about it and cheering when they passed by. And James, finally, seemed to be back to normal.

--

**A/N: **Well, I'm back! Europe rocked. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter.

In an attempt to make the previews for the next chapter more exciting, here are a few lines from chapter ten. You can guess who says what.

"Naked Macarena dance?"

"Well, what did you expect, for me to mope around forever?"

"They're all writing her love letters."

"I can't tell you, or I'd have to kill you."


	10. A Deep, Different Girl

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of Chapter): **James and Lily have a fight (what's new?) and a few interesting conversations. It's Lily's birthday, so, of course, the Gryffindors throw her a party in the common room.

--

In the library, James strode over to Lily's table and slid into the seat next to her. "What do you want?" Lily asked, looking up at James. He was wearing his Quidditch robes and a smirk Lily wanted to slap off of his face.

"I noticed that you're still going out with Brendell," James said breezily.

"That's right," Lily said. "And you have no chance up against him."

"That's what I thought you would say," James replied. He leaned closer to Lily. Against her will, she smelled him. He smelled like cologne and sweat and the wood of broomsticks. "But, this weekend is Valentine's Day and there's a Hogsmeade trip –"

"Are you mad, Potter?" Lily snapped, slamming her book shut. She started gathering her books up. "I'm going with Paul, of course, he's my boyfriend. You know, I actually thought you might have some real feeling in you, but after all of this, you just went back to your normal, arrogant self, you self-centered –"

"Well, what did you expect, for me to mope around forever?" James asked incredulously.

"I told you I'm not interested," Lily said. "What don't you understand about that? I don't like you, Potter. I thought we could have been friends, but you're an ass. I don't know why I ever thought otherwise." She stuffed her books viciously into her book bag and stood up. She glared down at James. "The only reason you like me is because I'm the only thing in your perfect life that you can't have."

James caught up with her by the library door. "Wait," he said. "That's not true!"

Madam Pince shooed them out of the peace of the library, glaring at them. Lily lost no time once they were in the corridor. "People worship you," she snapped. "I'm the unattainable goal and you'll just keep trying, won't you?"

"You don't even know me!" James shot back.

"Your parents pamper you," she exclaimed. "You've never had a problem in the world-"

"Oh, I'm the one with the perfect life?" James asked. "Right, because you've lost all your aunts and uncles to the war. And I forgot being top of your class was so _hard_, and having Snape kissing your feet was so _horrible_."

"What does he have to do with _anything_?" Lily said shrilly. Of course he had to bring Severus into this; it was just like him.

"I can only imagine how terrible it would be to have him following you around at your every beck and call," James said.

"For your information, we're not friends anymore," Lily said, imagining how liberating it would be to wring his neck. "I'm sure it makes you extremely happy to see that one of my friendships has been _ruined_. And it shows how much you know about me, Potter, since we haven't spoken a word since the end of fifth year."

James looked surprised for a moment. Lily reveled in the pleasure of shutting him up, even if it was only for a minute.

He threw his hands up. "I don't care about you and Snivellus -"

Lily scoffed. "Right," she said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" James asked.

"You mean I'm supposed to believe that you're tortured him for the last three years _just because_?"

James rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself," he said.

Lily crossed her arms. She wasn't born yesterday. She knew she might not have been the root of their problems - James had only started to like her in fifth year - but she had made it all the worse. "Good thing I'm more intelligent than you think," she said.

"Why were your friends with him for so long, anyway?" James asked.

"That's none of your business!" Lily snapped. "How did we even - just a minute ago, we weren't talking about me. We were talking about you and your pathetic existence-"

"You know what," James said, "so what if I've had a pretty good life? It has nothing to do with liking you!"

"Then why?" Lily said. "Why do you like me so much?"

There was a moment of silence as James stared at her, looking like a deer in headlights, although he would never understand the phrase. "Here's your big chance," she said.

"You can't just. . ." James trailed off.

Lily waited for one more moment, even though she knew she shouldn't have. What should she care? She was going out with Paul, and he made her happy, and he was nice to her, and he wasn't an arrogant pighead. But there was still a small part of her that was drawn to Potter, and maybe if she knew more, if she was sure he was genuine, maybe that part of her wouldn't be so small anymore, maybe, just maybe. . .

She snapped out of it, shaking her head. "Good one, Potter," she said. Then she turned and walked away.

--

It was almost curfew on Tuesday night. Lily was doing prefects rounds, and Mary, Marlene and Candace were walking around, having people sign a gigantic banner that said _Happy Birthday, Lily!_ in dark red letters. There were lilies, sparkles and lions decorating the banners and a litter of signatures. Sirius watched them move away from the seventh year Gryffindors over to the four of them.

James was finishing a Charms essay due tomorrow, and Peter was attempting to help. Sirius and Remus were playing chess, but Sirius was hardly paying attention.

"All right, you lot," Mary said, unrolling the banner out. "We need you to sign this. Lily's turning seventeen tomorrow."

"And be nice," Marlene told Sirius, handing him a quill and ink bottle.

"Do I have to sign it?" James asked, looking at the banner like one would look at a poisonous bug.

"Why would ask such a stupid question?" Mary said, rolling her eyes. "Of course you have to sign it, you prat!"

"All right," Candace said. "There's purple ink, red, orange, pink, green, blue and black. Be careful, because they're mine."

"Why on earth would you have so many ink colors?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For birthday banners," Candace said shortly. Peter looked over the various colors of ink, tapping his fingers. Sirius dipped the end of his quill in black ink and signed the banner by Paul Brendell's note so that James wouldn't have to look at it. _Happy Birthday, Evans. Welcome to the "of age club." –Sirius Black. _

James stared at the clear spot ahead of him. What to write, what to write . . . maybe just _Happy Birthday. –James Potter._ Or maybe a note? Exhaling a breath, he wrote, _To a deep, different girl. Happy 17th, Lily. –James Potter._

Remus wrote in blue ink, _Happy 17th Birthday, Lily! I hope it's amazing – have a wonderful year. Until next birthday, Remus Lupin._ Peter fussed over what to write for a moment, then just wrote, _Evans, have a nice birthday. Happy year! –Peter Pettigrew._

"Took you long enough," Marlene said, waving her wand to dry off the ink.

"They're all writing her love letters," Mary said, waving her wand over the ink.

"Mine's so short," Sirius said. He shrugged. "Shows just how much I feel for her."

The girls started to roll the banner up, but a few fourth year girls scampered over. "Ooh, is this Lily Evans?" one of them asked her. "I do like her." She took the quill and inks from Candace and the girls fussed over color coding and decorations.

"Tomorrow evening, after dinner, we're having a little. . .party," Candace said. "Though it won't be like the last birthday party we had in here."

"No sexual harassing for you, James," Mary said, grinning at James.

"Oh, shut up," James said, his nose dug into his Charms book. "Wait – after dinner? I suppose I'll have to cancel Quidditch practice . . . does anyone know where I can find the history of this ruddy Charm? Stupid Fidelus –"

"Fidelius," Peter corrected him. James glared at him.

"Didn't someone famous use it in the time of Grindelwald?" Marlene asked.

"Maybe the fifth year should write the essay for you," Sirius said to James.

"Shove off, you're the reason I'm doing this late!" James exclaimed.

"Oh, shut up!" Sirius said. "You were too busy moping over Evans."

James had picked up an ink bottle, but at that moment the portrait hole swung open and Lily walked in. "Oh, hell, what is she doing back here so early?" Candace said.

Marlene looked at her watch. "It's eleven," she said. She looked at Mary. "If you hadn't been so busy talking to Frank–"

"Oh, you little–" Mary began.

"I'll distract her," James said, standing up. He jogged over to Lily, stopping her before she could spot the girls and walk over to them. "Hey, Evans."

Lily looked at him, raising her eyebrows. "What do you want?" she asked.

"I hear it's your birthday tomorrow," James said. "You'll be of age."

"Mmhm," Lily said, looking uninterested. "What's it to you?"

"Oh, I don't know," James said lamely.

Lily raised her eyebrows.

"I mean, I don't turn seventeen til the end of March," James said, shrugging. He paused. "I got you something."

Lily's green eyes widened for a moment, then she started to shake her head. "Oh, Potter, really," she said.

"No, no, I wanted to get you it," James said. "And don't – I mean, it's not like I was counting down on a calendar or anything, I heard Mary talking about it. Look, it's just – I mean, it's nothing, anyway. Just from one friend to another on her birthday."

Lily studied James for a moment, and looked a bit like his mother. Like she was pitying him. Like she was thinking, 'What a poor boy, chasing after me. He's so pitiful.' But none of them really understood.

"Don't look at me like that," James said.

"Like what?" Lily asked.

"Like you pity me," James said.

"I wasn't–" Lily started, annoyed.

"Yes, you were," James replied.

There were a few yells behind James and Lily glanced over James's shoulder. James moved to block her vision. Lily looked at him, her lips pursed. "Don't try to act like you're distracted so that you don't have to talk to me," James said.

"I didn't–" Lily began, looking even more annoyed.

"You don't have to pity me," James stated. "I do like you as a friend, as just a girl, you know. I just don't act like it."

"And you won't care if I don't get you a present for your birthday?" Lily asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"Well. . ." James trailed off. "It would be very hurtful."

Lily smirked. "I'm sure you'll survive," she said. She walked over to the seventh years, in the opposite direction of their friends.

James turned and walked back over to Sirius, Remus and Peter. The girls were gone. "Do you guys have to be so loud?" he asked, sitting back down.

"It was Marlene," Remus said.

"She spilled two ink bottles all over the banner," Peter said.

"And then Remus jumped in and waved his wand," Sirius said, shrugging. "So, McKinnon hugged her hero and kissed him like there was no tomorrow."

"The banner looks fine," Remus said coolly.

"Wait, did she really kiss you?" James asked.

"Of course not," Remus said. "Are you actually going to believe him–" he motioned to Sirius, "–about anything when it comes to kissing?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sirius asked, pretending to look offended. "Like I have a history of lying about kissing?"

Remus looked at Sirius pointedly. "In first year, when you told us you snogged Celestina Warbeck," he said.

"And in third year, when you said you kissed Lily Evans under the mistletoe," Peter said.

"All right, all right – but that was when I was younger," Sirius said.

"What about this summer. . ."

--

The next day, Lily was woken up by Mary, Candace and Debra, who were singing to her some absurd song for which it was much too early. They dragged her off to breakfast and Paul met her with a rose at the Gryffindor table.

"Oh, this is lovely," Lily said, smiling. "Thank you."

Her parents sent parcels in, and she opened her gifts around her friends. To her relief, Potter didn't say anything to her until they had Transfiguration and he asked her how it felt to be legal to drink. Professor McGonagall, however, quickly corrected him. "The drinking age in this country is eighteen, Mr. Potter, and I do believe you know that," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I've told you time and time again."

"Oh, yeah, I just forgot. . ." James trailed off, his ears going pink.

Melissa wished her a happy birthday, but told Lily she'd give her her present that night. The other Gryffindors didn't seem to notice too much, a few people wished her a happy birthday in the corridors, but most of them weren't in her House.

Professor Slughorn had insisted on a party, but Lily politely told him she was fine. He had even started inviting people, but McGonagall cut his plans off. "It would be much too late, anyway," McGonagall said, shaking her head while Lily gave her looks of gratefulness from behind Slughorn.

"Seventeen years," Violet Moss said haughtily as Lily passed. "We'll see how long the Mudblood will really lasts after school, when Potter isn't there to protect her . . ."

Marlene and Paul tried to hex her, but Lily dragged them off, ignoring Moss. "Ruddy Slytherins," Marlene said, righting her robes.

After dinner, she went up to the common room with Paul and Frank. "Don't you have Quidditch practice?" Lily asked Paul.

"No, Potter cancelled," Paul said, shrugging.

A group of people yelled, "Surprise!" when she entered. The common room was richly decorated for Lily's birthday. There was a gigantic banner hanging over the fireplace, music playing and streamers and ribbon everywhere.

James and Sirius were setting up the table at the side of the room, where there was butterbeer and a variety of candy's and snacks. Mary and Marlene were passing out party hats and sound makers. Remus was wearing a party hat and looking quite ridiculous. There was a second table full of presents, by which Peter was evaluating where to put his small package. So that was why no one had given her gifts yet.

Laughing, Lily walked over to Mary and Marlene. "You two are unbelievable!" she exclaimed. "I thought everyone hated me!"

"Oh, of course not!" Mary exclaimed. "Here, a noise maker!" She held out a bright pink crown. "And here's a crown for the birthday girl. I made it myself. It won't go with your hair, but it's the thought that counts – and we're not modeling for Witch Weekly, right?" She shoved it unto Lily's head and grinned at her.

"It looks great," Marlene said, laughing.

"You look great all the time," Paul said, kissing Lily on the cheek.

The common room was alive with sounds of the party. Everyone who passed through grabbed a few snacks and wished Lily a happy birthday, even people she didn't know. The food and drink seemed to be unending. "How did you get all of this?" Lily asked James, looking over all of the butterbeer bottles.

"I can't tell you, or I'd have to kill you," James said. He shrugged. "Chocolate Frog?"

Lily opened all of the presents, finding a present from even Professor McGonagall. "Oh, my lord!" she said as she found a set of underwear Mary had given her. "Mary, you could have put a warning sign on the package or something!"

Mary shrugged innocently. "I thought Paul would want to see them," she said, grinning.

"I hate you," she said, blushing furiously. She stuffed the lingerie underwear back into the box and tossed it aside. Thirty minutes later, James and Sirius had gotten into them and were running around the common room. Lily sent Paul after them and they quickly surrendered.

James draped his arm over her shoulders. "It's all fun and games, though, right?" he asked, grinning.

"Oh, get off me," Lily said, pushing him off. "You're so immature!"

"Evans, it was just a joke!" James said, laughing. "You were laughing!"

"I was not!" Lily said hotly. She stormed off to sit next to Debra. She was never talking to him again.

Halfway through the night, around nine o'clock, Sirius Black silenced the room and stood on the empty table that had been holding Lily's gifts. He was holding a butterbeer in his hand. His school tie was crooked and his shirt was half-untucked. "I'd like to make a toast," he said, "to Lily Evans – _hic_. She's the only red-haired Muggle-born I know . . . _hic_ – and the smartest girl I know . . . and – _hic_ – she's definitely got the cutest underwear around here . . ." a few people laughed, while Lily rolled her eyes. "_Hic_ – But really – _hic_ – she's not half-bad, no matter what the Slytherins say." He raised his butterbeer bottle in Lily's direction. "To Lily . . . Lily Evans, next year's Head Girl."

"Here here," James said, raising his own bottle, but it didn't look like butterbeer at all.

"To Lily Evans," half of the room echoed.

Sirius downed the rest of his bottle. Mary, Marlene and Paul drank to the toast. "Are you kidding me?" Lily asked the three of them.

"It was a toast," Paul said, shrugging.

"The least heartfelt toast I have ever heard," Lily said.

There was a loud crack – Lily turned to see the table Sirius was standing on breaking and suddenly he was on the ground, in a heap of metal and wood. He looked shocked for a moment, then burst out laughing. His friends and most of the other people in the room laughed a good deal.

"The look. . .on your face. . ." Remus gasped, laughing. Was even Remus drunk?

Lily rolled her eyes again. She seemed to do a lot of that around the four of them. "Ah, Sirius," Marlene said, laughing. "He is a prat, but he's pretty funny."

"Attractive, too," Mary said. She glanced over at Frank, but everyone pretended not to notice.

"Lighten up, Lily," Paul said, scooting closer to Lily. "They're just having a bit of fun."

"Can't they have a bit of fun and not be destructive?" Lily asked.

"No," Paul said. "They're boys. Even I'm destructive sometimes." He waggled his eyebrows at her, and Lily was strongly reminded of James.

Sirius stumbled over to them. "I fare thee well," he said. "Goodnight, Evans, glad you liked the party. Here's a happy birthday kiss." He planted a sloppy, slobbery kiss unto Lily's mouth. She pushed him away and wiped her mouth off as Sirius left.

Mary and Candace were rolling on the floor, laughing. Marlene stared in shock. "Did that really just happen?" Paul asked.

"Oh, disgusting!" Lily exclaimed. "I think I need to brush my teeth."

"I'm going to kill him tomorrow in practice," Paul said. "Did that. . .I mean, did he really – wasn't Potter just watching?"

"James is pissed out of his mind," Candace said, wiping tears from her face. "Well, maybe not out of his mind, but considerably past all common sense. . ."

"Isn't he always?" Mary asked.

"This has definitely been the most eventful birthday I've ever had," Lily said, still wiping her face. "God, firewhiskey tastes horrible. . ."

When she finally headed up to her dormitory, feeling guilty about putting off her homework, it was almost midnight. Yawning, she dumped all of her gifts into her trunk. She would clean it up tomorrow. . .

"Goodnight, girls," Lily said, changing into her pajamas. "Thanks for everything."

"No problem," Mary replied, collapsing in her bed with all of her clothes on.

Lily saw a small package on her pillow and paused cautiously. She picked it up and the label, as she suspected, said From: _James Potter, To: Lily Evans._ She had received a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and the label said _From the Marauders, who love Lily Evans. _

Now, she crawled into her bed and closed her curtains. She lit up the tip of her wand and opened the package. It was a delicate, fine silver chain with the charm of a white and blue glass heart hanging from it. On the back was engraved, _You still have my heart._ Lily sat with the glass heart in her hands for a moment. She shook her head, sighing. Right, from one friend to another, her left foot. . .

--

The next day, James went to breakfast thirty minutes late with his friends, his head throbbing. "Maybe we should have stopped around one," Peter mumbled, sitting down at the Gryffindor table.

"Yeah, especially after Frank threatened our lives," James said thoughtfully.

"Nah," Sirius said. "If we had stopped, Remus never would have done the Macarena naked."

Remus glared at Sirius, filling his bowl with oatmeal. "I've never seen it done with such life," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Well, it's your own fault," Remus said.

"It's the first time I've seen you really lose it," Peter said, nodding. "Usually it's James and Sirius – remember last summer and that girl you met at the Three Broomsticks – what was her name?"

"Have you told Jewel about that yet?" James asked Sirius.

"No," Sirius said. "I don't exactly have any intention to. Ever. Pass the bacon, please."

"Well, if you ever tell anyone about my naked Macarena dance, Jewel will most definitely know about Amber the Actress and your role-playing–" Remus said in a cool voice.

"Naked Macarena dance?"

The four boys looked up and Lily Evans stood behind Remus and James. Remus's ears went pink and Sirius smirked. "I obviously came in at the wrong time," she said. "I had no idea my party would have such an effect on the four of you. . .you look so tired."

"Don't ask," Peter mumbled into his breakfast.

"I wasn't planning on it," Lily said, shaking her head. She looked at James. "I need to talk to you."

"Potter! I need to talk to you!" Sirius said in a high-pitched voice.

James kicked Sirius underneath the table before standing up. "You're the one who kissed her last night," he said. He looked at Lily. "Are you sure I'm the one you want to talk to?"

"Yes," Lily said shortly. She walked out of the Great Hall. James followed, ignoring Sirius's catcalls. Lily stopped outside of the front doors. She turned to look at James, her eyes bright. She held her hand out, the necklace he had given her in her palm. "I can't accept this."

"What?" James asked. "It's a gift, Evans. That's really very rude of you."

"James," Lily said, her tone serious. She grabbed James's hand and put the necklace in his palm. She clasped his fingers over it and goose bumps spread up his arm. "I can't accept this."

"You know, you giving it back is kind of like you telling me that I have your heart," James said. One of her hands was still over his tightly, the other holding his wrist.

"I didn't walk into the store," Lily said, letting go of him, "or pay the money to get the chain or the heart or the engraving–"

"I did the engraving myself," James said. He didn't know why he said this, but it was important, somehow.

Lily looked at him, hard. "I can't accept it," she said.

"Come on, Evans, it's a bloody gift," James replied. He held the necklace out.

"No!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm dating Paul–"

"I know," James said.

"I don't like you like that–"

"I know," James said. "Just be happy I won't get you something for Valentine's Day."

"You can't keep doing this," Lily said. "You're only hurting yourself."

James just looked at her with that same, intense gaze with which she looked back at him. The two of them stood there, studying each other. He thought of his feelings for Lily Evans; the hurt, the emotional roller coaster, the jealousy from his best friend, the infatuation, the adoration, the butterflies. Then he shrugged. He waved the necklace around. "Take it," he said. "It's a gift, from me to you."

"I don't want your heart, Potter," Lily said hotly. "Bloody hell, I hate you – I can't take this."

"Take the bloody necklace, Evans," James said. He stepped forward, his arms going around her neck. He was at least five inches taller than her and he felt her tense, with his body barely touching hers. He clipped the necklace together and stepped away. Lily looked up at him, her eyes full of tears. He felt alarmed for a moment – was she going to cry? He looked at the fine silver chain, which rested on her neck, her hair up in a ponytail. "Just take it. There are no returns at the stupid store."

"I hate you, I really do," Lily said. Then she turned and walked away. Before she turned the corner, James saw her take the necklace off.

--

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming, I really like them :)

What's up next? Valentine's Day, and the Marauders have an idea to make sure this February 14th goes down in history. We also see the Shrieking Shack, itching powder, and Remus on a broomstick.


	11. The L Word

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summmary (for chapter): **A Valentine's Day that will go down in infamy. When else do you see Lily in love with Sirius, Marlene McKinnon chasing after Hagrid, and Sirius proposing to Jewel?

--

Valentine's Day came up quickly. James felt his adrenaline pumping when they left their dormitory in the middle of the night to put the final stages of their prank into place. Valentine's Day was usually a day for couples to make out and singles to feel sorry for themselves, but this year would be the day the students and faculty of Hogwarts would never forget.

Once they were finished, they went back to their dorms, but none of them could get to sleep. They tried for about an hour, but finally Sirius got up and started playing around with the Marauders Map. James finally fell asleep around six, but he woke up two and a half hours later to catch the last of breakfast and rush to his first class.

He slid into the Transfiguration room, Peter behind him. There was a frenzied air in the classroom. James sat down behind Remus and Sirius. Sirius gave him a hidden thumbs-up, and motioned towards Alice Hodge and another Hufflepuff girl.

"I don't know what it is," the Hufflepuff girl was saying. "He's just so. . .dreamy."

"What has gotten into you?" Alice asked. "It's _Professor Flitwick_!"

The door to the classroom opened, and Lily and Mary walked in. "Oh, I just love it," James heard Lily say.

A small puff of smoke appeared over Lily's head; it looked a bit like Cupid. He shot an arrow at Lily. A few other people in the room noticed, but Lily was clueless. She glanced over at Sirius. There was a moment of the usual annoyance on her face, but then her expression changed. James stared in horror as Lily gave Sirius a warm smile. Sirius, realizing what had happened, burst out laughing.

Professor McGonagall gave them a suspicious look, but James didn't notice. He looked over at Lily, then at Sirius, who was banging his fist on the table. Who had come up with this stupid idea?

--

"What are you talking about?" Jewel asked her sister.

"Jewel, he _told_ me how in love with you he is!" Juniper said.

Jewel glanced up when she heard a noise above Juniper's head. She saw a pink puff of smoke resembling Cupid shoot an arrow at Juniper. "Did you see that?" Jewel asked as it disappeared.

"See what?" Juniper asked, turning around to look over her shoulder. She saw Snape sitting at the Slytherin table. She looked back at Jewel, her eyes bright. "Have you ever thought about how. . .handsome Severus is?"

"_What_?" Jewel exclaimed. She slapped Juniper on the cheek lightly. "You're kidding, right?"

"Of course not!" Juniper said.

Jewel stared at her twin as though she had grown an extra head. She glanced around. Something was going on here. Something that smelled like the Marauders. She saw Sirius and his friends sitting at the Gryffindor table laughing. Well, except for James, who looked miserable. Jewel found out why when Lily sat by Sirius and began flirting with him.

"I'll be back," Jewel told Juniper, chuckling. "Tell me all about Snape later."

She walked over to the Gryffindor table. Lily was slightly leaning on Sirius, who was grinning at James. James looked like he was trying to burn a hole in Sirius's forehead. Jewel joined them. "How did you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?" Sirius asked, but he knew she already knew.

"It's everytime a person says l-"

James clapped his hand over Jewel's mouth. "Don't say it!" he said.

Jewel grinned, shaking her head. "How long does it last?" she asked.

"Just until sundown," Sirius replied.

"Will you marry me?" Jewel asked.

"Of course," Sirius said. "You've fallen in -"

James, Peter, and Remus dove across the table, but Sirius let the word slip. As soon as it was out, he swore. Cupid arrived, shooting him with an arrow. Jewel fleetingly wondered who exactly you fell in love with when the cupid shot you, but she soon found out it was the first person you looked at. (She hoped they had arranged the charms so it was the opposite sex, or they may have some interesting scenarios.) Sirius looked at her and smiled.

"Jewel, there's no one else I'd rather spend my life with," he said.

"What?" Lily asked, her green eyes widening. "You're in love with Jewel?"

"Of course," Sirius said. He reached for Jewel's hand. "We're going to get married."

Lily stared at him in horror. Jewel looked at James, smirking. "You're sure this is going to wear off by sundown?" she asked.

James shrugged. "We've never tried it before," he said.

Jewel shook her head. "It was nice knowing you," she said.

--

Alice seemed to be the only sane person left in Hogwarts. The professors didn't catch on until after lunchtime, and by that time, most of them were under the Cupid spell as well. Professor Dumbledore made sure the spells would wear off by sundown, gave the Marauders detention, and let them go free. Remus had made her swear she wouldn't tell anyone she saw them coming out of her office, though. They would have some angry people to face tomorrow. Violet Moss was only one of them, having just snogged a fifth year Hufflepuff named Carlyle Bickey. Alice wished someone would teach them the countercurses, especially since her best friend was waiting outside of Professor Flitwick's office.

"Hey, Alice," Frank said.

"Hi," she said, smiling. "How's it going?"

"Good," Frank said with a grin. "It's pretty crazy, though, isn't it?"

Alice nodded. "I was just headed to my room so nothing would happen to me," she said.

"How have you been?" Frank asked.

"Better," Alice replied. "I still miss them, but it's easier to think about other things. . .for the first few days, I could hardly think."

Frank nodded with a solemn look on his face. "Yeah," he said. "Have they found out anything about who it was?"

Alice shook her head sadly. "They don't leave behind a lot of clues," she said.

At the bottom of the staircase of which they had just stepped off, a second year was crying softly. Alice looked at her with a sad look on her face. "Poor girl," she said.

"So...are you going to Hogsmeade with anyone this weekend?" Frank asked.

Alice shook her head, giving him a smile. "Are you asking me to go with you?" she asked.

"Guilty as charged," Frank said.

"I'd -" she cut off before she said the trigger word. She didn't need to fall in love with Frank any more than she already was. "I'd be honored."

"Great," Frank said with a smile. They approached the Hufflepuff common room. "I hope you have a great Valentine's Day."

"I hope you don't get shot by Cupid," Alice said.

"What, you don't want to share me with anyone else?" Frank asked.

Alice just let out a soft laugh, not bothering to answer the question. It had been a little more than a month since he had broken up with Mary, but he and Alice hadn't gotten serious about anything. Alice just wasn't ready for anything. "I'll see you later," she said.

"Bye," Frank said.

She walked into the Hufflepuff common room. She found two first years sitting closely on one of the cushy couches. She shook her head, laughing quietly as the went up to her room. She would never forget this Valentine's Day.

--

Lily ignored the four of them the next day, but they expected it, especially after she had cried for an hour when she found out Sirius was in love with Jewel. James was still traumatized from having the love of his life head over heels for his best mate. Sirius would never have let it go if he hadn't fallen under the same spell.

"Let's never, ever do that again, okay?" Remus said as they walked to the Great Hall.

Throughout the week, they were faced with a number of death threats, nasty looks, and duels. It looked like there was fungus growing out of Sirius's ear for a few days after Rosier hexed him, but they all knew he enjoyed snogging a fifth year Gryffindor.

Marlene McKinnon hit Sirius over the head with his Beater's Bat once she found out it was him. "I spent the entire day following Hagrid around!" she yelled while he lay on the ground in pain.

Once the initial horror and embarrassment wore off, they were the heroes of the school. By the time the Hogsmeade trip rolled around, they were geniuses, the best thing to ever happen to Hogwarts.

"Oh ye of little faith," Sirius said, his arm around Katie Summers's waist.

"Lily still hasn't been won over," Remus said. "I don't think she's ever ignored me."

"Welcome to our world," James said wryly.

Mary MacDonald joined them at the Three Broomsticks, drinking one too many butterbeers once she saw Frank and Alice walking around holding hands. "She's not even that pretty," she said.

James gave Sirius a confused look. Since when did girls hang out with them and lament about their boyfriends? Mary was cool when she wasn't hung up on a guy. Sirius just rolled his eyes.

Remus was more than happy to get out of Hogwarts, and enjoyed the change of scenery and seeing new faces. He wondered how long it would be until it wasn't safe enough for them to go to Hogsmeade, and hoped it was after they had graduated. They explored different stores, walked around the Hogsmeade park, and dared Peter to ask Madam Rosmerta for a date.

They were walking down one of the roads. James picked up some snow and chucked it at Sirius. He started chasing after him. Peter and Remus looked at each other, grinning, and followed. James led them down a side road, yelling at Sirius to leave him alone. Remus saw ahead of them the Shrieking Shack and slowed down. He saw Candace, Debra, and Lily by the fence, looking at the abandoned building cautiously. A fourth person stood there; he looked a few years older than them, and he was telling stories with wide eyes.

Sirius and James took no notice of this. Sirius tackled James down and started shoving snow in his face. James yelled and kicked. The four bystanders stopped for a moment, looking over at the two of them.

Remus kept his distance from them. Lily rolled her eyes, looking away. Debra and Candace laughed at James's misfortune. "Oh, come on, leave him alone," Candace said after a moment.

Sirius looked up at Candace, grinning. "You think I should?" he asked.

"Yes, yes, listen to the blond girl," James said, panting.

"She has a name," Lily said.

James looked over at the sound of Lily's voice. "Yeah, I know," he said defiantly. "We've only been going to school together for five years."

Lily rolled her eyes again. "What were you saying, Davey?" she asked.

Remus now recognized him; he had been a few years over them, and had nearly lost an eye to the Whomping Willow after being dared by his friends to venture closer to the wild tree. "I personally think that someone's being tortured in there," the male said.

This statement made Sirius stand up. He walked over to them and crossed his arms. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Lily gave him an annoyed look, but Davey was eager to tell his story. "This house is haunted," he said, his eyes widening. "We hear the most awful screams at night."

James walked over to them as well, his playful demeanor gone. Peter glanced at Remus with a worried look on his face, but Remus pretended not to notice. He wanted to leave very badly now. "I bet all of you are imagining it," James said harshly.

"Imagining it?" Davey repeated. "No way! Me and my brothers came here two weeks ago when the screams started at sundown. They're the most horrible things you've ever heard; makes your blood run cold."

Remus felt exposed, even though half of them didn't have any idea that he made those noises each month. He could see Sirius's harsh glare at the older boy. "My older brother went up to the door to knock on it, and then there was a sound on the other door like someone was pounding on it, like they were trying to get out," Davey said. He turned to look at Candace, who looked frightened. "They were locked in, you see."

"That's ridiculous," James said. "If someone's locked in there, wouldn't you hear it all the time?"

Davey paused, thinking this out in his head. "Well, maybe...maybe they're given a potion," he said. "Yeah, and it subdues them..."

"And maybe there's a basilisk in there, too," Sirius said sarcastically.

"I'm telling you," Davey snapped, "there's something in there. It doesn't even sound human."

Remus looked over his shoulder, wondering if anyone other than Peter would notice if he just walked away.

"It's like someone's being Cursed with the Cruciatus," Davey said.

"What the hell do you know?" Sirius snarled. "How could you have any idea what's in there? You're just saying some load of bullocks to impress these girls -"

James and Remus took this as their cue. Remus finally walked forward. He grabbed Sirius's arm and James grabbed the other. "Let's go," he said. He felt Lily looking at him. He avoided meeting her eyes, blushing.

"This idiot -" Sirius began.

"Nice story," James said.

"It's not a story," Davey said. "I swear it's true - ask anyone in the village -"

The boys ignored him, pulling Sirius away. Sirius pushed them off of him, and they continued walking away from the Shrieking Shack. Remus quickened his step, walking ahead of them. Nobody said anything, and the humiliation from the situation intensified. Remus fought back tears. He didn't cry often, but he walked to a tree a ways off the road and sat in the grass, sprinkled with snow, and put his head in his hands. He let his tears fall unto his palms, holding back too much emotion.

He didn't ask for this. He didn't want this burden on him; this secret beast that raged within him, this other half. If any of the students knew about this, he would never be accepted. He already saw the way Snape and his friends glared at him; he was sure Snape had told anyone he could have without Dumbledore finding out.

Worse than that, he didn't want his friends to know how vulnerable it made him. He tried to hold back his screams during transformation, but how could he not express the pain of his bones being wrenched apart and his nerves splitting and reforming? He couldn't imagine his friends seeing or hearing that, that part of him resurfacing as his humanity was ripped away.

His thoughts raced through his head, and he was having difficulty breathing.

"Remus?" he heard Lily's voice. "Is he all right?"

Remus tried to catch his breath, wiping his nose. He was at least fifteen feet off of the road, and they sounded far away, but he didn't want anyone to come over.

"His girlfriend dumped him," Sirius said.

"He doesn't have a girlfriend," Lily snapped.

"How do you know?" Sirius shot back. "He got one on Monday."

"Oh, when you cursed everyone?" Lily asked.

"It was a Charm, actually," James said.

"Get out of my way," Lily's voice said angrily, and Remus guessed Sirius or James was keeping her from walking over to him. He sniffled, wiping his face.

"Screw off," Sirius said. "You haven't talked to him for five days, why do you want to now?"

"How do you know I haven't talked to him for five days?" Lily asked.

"Remus tells us everything," Sirius replied.

"Right," Lily said.

It fell into silence as there were fading footsteps. Remus wiped his face again, closing his eyes. He just wanted to go to sleep now. He slowly stood up. James, Sirius, and Peter were waiting on the edge of the road. He walked over to them. "I think I'll go back early," he said, looking at the backs of the girls as they walked away.

Lily looked over her shoulder. She gave him a small smile, but Remus looked away.

"All right," James said.

There was a moment of silence. Remus nodded, and started walking up the road towards the carriages.

--

Outside of the castle, it was chilly, but not cold enough to defer the Marauders. James, Remus, and Peter were outside by the lake, sitting around and being bored. Gryffindor had won the game against Hufflepuff on Saturday, and they had a free afternoon. "I love not having homework and being top of Quidditch," James said. He glanced around. There weren't a lot of students outside; they were huddling in their common rooms or they were stuck in classes.

"Remus, I notice you don't have a book with you," James said. "Either you're feeling sick or you're having a mid-life crisis."

"Well, I've just finished one," Remus said. "And I left mine back in the common room when we left to go to Charms."

"Right – who are you and what have you done with Remus?" James asked. "You guys want to go flying?"

Remus cringed. "Er, no," he said.

"Come on, Remy, it's been ages since you've flown," James said.

"Two years, much too short," Remus said. He looked as though he really wished he had a book to bury his face in.

"Well, then just come and watch Peter and I," James said, standing up.

"Me?" Peter asked. He got to his feet. He didn't like flying very much, either, but he still tried.

"Come on," James said. He jogged towards the Quidditch pitch and, to his relief, found it completely empty. He got his broom out of his locker, where he had left it after Quidditch practice last night, and grabbed two for Peter and Remus. "Here, you two."

"Are you sure..." Peter trailed off.

"I thought I was just watching," Remus said, looking at the broom cautiously.

"Aww, just fly around a bit," James replied. He looked at Remus with his puppy-dog look. "You know you want to, Remy. You miss the wind through your hair, the exhilarating rush. Come on!"

He mounted his own broom and kicked off of the ground before he could reply. He soared into the air, whooping. He spun and did a few tricks, flying higher and higher. He went towards the goals, laughing and cheering some more. He turned and looked at Remus and Peter, who were two specks far away. Zooming down to meet them, he landed again and attempted to help them loosen up to fly.

Some time later, Peter had gone into the air, but James was still having trouble getting Remus unto the broom. "Look, you prat," James said. "Just do it and get it over with! It's worth it. You said it was last time."

"A Bludger nearly took off my head last time!" Remus said.

James held back a laugh, although Peter made no attempt to keep back his laugher. "Yeah, but Sirius isn't here now!" James exclaimed. "You sorry arse, get on the broom!"

Remus glared at James and James glared back at him. "All right," Remus said finally. "If it bothers you so much..."

Remus looked at the broom, then at James, then back at the broomstick. Swallowing, he lifted one leg and mounted the broomstick. He eased unto the Cushioning Charm and James rolled his eyes. Remus easily pushed off of the ground, his hands tightening on the wooden handle as he lifted into the air. He eased his broomstick up, cursing James and his flying hobbies. James cheered him on, mounting his broom, and for a good solid hour, the three boys were flying around the pitch. James taught Peter how to spin, though it did have some disastrous results, and Remus tossed around the Quaffle.

"Oi, you lot, what are you doing up there without me?"

Minutes later, Sirius had joined them, a twinkle in his dark eyes. The four of them flew and flew, laughing and cheering and teasing each other. "This is the longest I've ever seen Moony on a broomstick!" Sirius yelled over to James. He looked at Remus. "Been a while since you've had something nice and solid between your legs, huh, Remus?"

"That's not what I heard last night!" James shouted, grinning. He spun around a few times, hooting.

They flew until it was dark, and they nearly missed dinner. They ran into the Great Hall while it was nearly empty and had ten loud, obnoxious minutes at the dinner table, then James and Sirius stuffed all they could into their robes, though later they would regret the greasy chicken in their pockets.

"Well, good luck getting Peter back unto a broomstick," James said.

"Hey, I'll do it again!" Peter exclaimed. "I stayed kind of low most of the time, yeah, but it was fun still . . ."

"Even Lupin went higher than you," Sirius said. "And he's Lupin!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Remus asked.

Sirius hit him in the shoulder, pushing him into James. "You know what it means," he said. They passed Terence Parker, and Sirius watched him scratch his neck for a moment before grinning. He put his arm around Remus's shoulder. "Hey, Moony, I've got a brilliant idea..."

--

The next day, news of itching powder in Terence Parker's underpants spread quickly and the usual teachers found the students they looked for first when this sort of thing usually happened. "Now, I like you two, but you just can't continue this sort of behavior," Professor Slughorn was telling James and Sirius. "I'm not quite sure how you even got to Parker's underpants – I'm assuming there was a Slytherin also involved, hmm?"

"Horace, stop being so soft on them!" McGonagall swept over. "You two – double detention. Friday night at eleven in my office."

"Oh, McGonagall, we weren't the only ones!" James said, sounding like a six year old.

She raised her eyebrows. "I doubt even Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Lupin would sink this low," she said.

"Well, you shouldn't!" James exclaimed. "Really, why do we always get in trouble? They go along with it all!"

A few moments later, McGonagall had given Peter and Remus detentions, also. "You said you wouldn't tell her I was involved," Remus said miserably. "I told you my prefect rights could be taken away."

"I didn't say anything!" Sirius said. He pointed at James. "It was all him."

"Aubrey won't shut up about it!" Remus said. "I told him I told the three of you off for it, but if he thinks I had a part in it –"

"You did the prank with us, Moony!" James said. "You didn't have a problem with it last night at four in the morning when we snuck into the Slytherin dungeons –"

"I'm Remus Lupin – I hate my life and I hate my friends!" Sirius threw himself unto the ground, moaning. "Woe is me! To be or not to be! _That_ is the question! To live or die –"

"You've got it all wrong," Remus said. He fished through his trunk, then threw a copy of _Hamlet_ at Sirius.

After an excruciatingly long Double Potions, in which Sirius would not stop harassing Severus Snape about writing in his book, Snape responded by throwing it at him after class, to which Sirius responded with a nasty hex, to which Slughorn responded with twenty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin and two more detentions for Sirius.

"He threw that book at me!" Sirius said viciously. His forehead was cut and bleeding. "What was I supposed to do, just laugh and walk away?" He scowled at a second year.

"Sirius, stop storming around," Remus said. He took Sirius's shoulder and turned him to face him. "Don't move."

"What are you doing?" Sirius asked, moving away from him.

Remus flicked his wand and Sirius's forehead healed.

"Oh, of course you can do magic without having to say the words with spells we haven't even learned yet," Peter said.

"Thanks," Sirius said gruffly. Then he continued storming down the corridors, ranting about Snape and Slughorn.

To James's enjoyment, Paul and Lily were spending less and less time together. Paul was caught up in Quidditch and homework was piling up before Easter break. Lily still regarded James will cool dislike, and James didn't see the necklace for a very long time.

--

**A/N: **I wish Valentine's Day in real life were that exciting haha. LazyBoyGilmore, Totally Crazy and Hyper, and pyscho-pyro-shrink: thanks for the reviews!

Next chapter: A haircut, a love-gone-dry, a few ice cubes down someone's robe, a friendly chat, and some more fun stuff.


	12. I Want to Hold Your Hand

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Lily gets a wake-up call (literally), Sirius gets a haircut, and James turns seventeen.

--

Lily walked down from the girl's dormitories, humming. She saw Remus sitting by himself by one of the windows. She glanced around to make sure his friends weren't around and walked over to him. "Hey, Remus," she said.

Remus looked up from his book. "Hey," he said. He swung his feet down from the window seat he sat on and patted it for her to sit down.

"Thanks," Lily said, relieved. She hadn't talked to him much since Valentine's Day. They had hung out a little bit during the Gryffindor victory party after the match against Hufflepuff, but that was all. "I'm sorry I've been rude to you lately."

"It's all right," Remus said.

"No, it's not," Lily said. "I was mad about the Valentine's Day thing. It was sort of funny, though. I mean - it would have been if I would have fallen in love with anyone other than Sirius. Unless it was James."

Remus smiled. "Yeah," he said. "Well, luckily for you, Sirius can't gloat too much because he spent the day in love with Jewel."

"I can't imagine how he would be," Lily said, smirking. She had admired the magic, too. "It was really clever, too. I was impressed."

Remus shrugged. "Four minds, one great day," he said.

Lily shook her head. "I'll be careful every Valentine's Day from now on," she said.

The two of them sat there in silence for a moment. Lily saw Paul walk into the common room. He smiled over at her, but walked up to his dorms. Lily was slightly glad. She and Paul were talking less and less, and she felt like the spark that they had had was now fading. That last time she had had real fun with him was during the Hogsmeade trip.

Thinking back on that day, she asked Remus, "Did your girlfriend really break up with you?"

Remus stared at her for a moment in confusion. "Oh," he said once it dawned on him. He looked away, his ears during red. "Yep."

Lily had a feeling he was lying to her, but didn't want to push it. That encounter at the Shrieking Shack had certainly been odd. She thought about Severus's idea that she used to brush off, blaming it on envy. Now, however, she wondered if it were true. "Well, I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sure it was a lovely relationship."

"Splendid," Remus said. "I don't know if I'll ever love again."

Lily giggled. "We'll see, won't we?" she asked. She thought of Marlene's mild admiration for him, but decided not to mention it. "Well, when's the next time you have prefect rounds?"

--

Lily was sitting through a long, toiling class of Herbology. She kept reminding herself of the rewarding outcomes of taking Advanced Herbology – someday she would be a Healer, this was helping her along her work. It was only Wednesday – only two days left until the weekend. Only two days, not including her afternoon classes...

Her Herbology class was small; she was the only Gryffindor girl in the class, like Potions. There was only one Slytherin, and no Ravenclaws; the rest of the class was made up of five Hufflepuffs. Lily sat at a table with Remus, trying various methods to keep herself awake. She could hear James and Sirius playing a card game behind her...maybe if she turned and told them off, she would awake from her slumber. She really shouldn't have stayed up last night. Debra had insisted on a 'girl talk' – and they had argued about Paul until midnight. Then Lily had been up thinking for at least an hour. That morning, of course, she had the early morning rounds...

How would she ever be Head Girl if she could barely stay awake in Herbology? She kept her hand under her chin, struggling to keep her eyes open. Maybe she could perform an awakening charm...would Professor Sprout notice? She straightened up and reached for her wand across the table.

But suddenly there was a cold slippery feel on the back of her neck. She squealed, jumping up as what felt like a handful of ice cubes ran down her shirt. She jumped from her chair, squirming around to get them out of her robes. James and Sirius were howling in laughter behind her. Her face aflame as everyone in the class looked at her, including Professor Sprout, Lily turned to look at the two boys.

"Oi, Evans, we were just trying to wake you up!" Sirius said quickly, grinning.

"What's going on over here?" Professor Sprout, walking over to them.

"They put ice cubes down my robes!" Lily exclaimed, her face finally returning to its normal color.

Sprout looked at the boys, her eyebrows raised. "Twenty points from Gryffindor," she said.

"_Twenty_?" James said, his hazel eyes widening. "Professor, it was just a joke –"

"Everything with you is just a joke, Mr. Potter," Professor Sprout said, shaking her head. She returned to the front of the class, and Lily sat down in her seat, huffing. She stood up again and brushed a few ice cubes off of her seat. At least she was awake now.

After class, James and Sirius caught up with Lily to walk next to her. "It was just a joke, you know," Sirius said.

"You were falling asleep," James said, smiling at her.

"If I wanted your help, I would have asked!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oh, you've got to admit it was funny!" James said.

"It was _embarrassing_!" Lily said.

"Everyone needed to wake up in that class," Sirius stated. "Peter would have started snoring, and hurt poor Sprout's feelings."

"I would not have started snoring!" Peter said from behind Sirius. He and Remus started arguing behind them about Peter's snoring habits as they approached the front doors to the castle.

"It was exciting," James said. "If McGonagall didn't insist that I needed it to be an Auror, I would have dropped Herbology quicker than Muggle Studies."

"You don't like Muggle Studies?" Lily asked, stung by this.

"'Course not," James said dismissively. "I mean, I love Muggles – I especially love your parents –"

"You've never _met_ my parents!" Lily said.

"And I doubt you ever will," Sirius said pointedly.

"But I live really close to a Muggle village," James continued. "I spend half my holidays with Muggles – I don't need Muggle _Studies_."

Lily huffed, then glared at James. "Herbology isn't boring – it's just been a long week . . ."

"It's boring," Sirius said shortly.

"So, Evans?" James asked. "Do you forgive us?"

Lily paused, looking at his puppy dog expression. "I guess so," she said roughly. "But only if you promise not to do anything to me for April Fool's."

They walked into the Great Hall for lunch, and the boys started laughing. "Like you're going to get off that easy," Remus said.

"Well, it was worth a try," Lily shrugged.

"Very noble of you," James said, shooting her a grin. They went their separate ways and as Lily watched them sit down, being loud and their usual selves, she thought grudgingly that she just might start liking them . . .

--

"This is injustice," Sirius said sourly. His arms were crossed and though no magical spell was tying him on the chair, he didn't move. He feared for his life and, more importantly, his hair. Jewel held a pair of scissors, and that was never a good sign.

"Sirius, shut up, you need a haircut," Jewel said, shaking her head. "You're such a baby."

"A baby?" Sirius scoffed. "You're cutting my hair – come on, I just cut it before school!"

Jewel shook her head some more. "James said you only kept it long if you're depressed," she said. "But you're just lazy, Sirius Black."

"Couldn't you at least use a spell?" Sirius asked.

"No," Jewel said. "I cut Juniper and my parent's hair all the time."

Sirius grumbled to himself, huffing. They sat in Professor McGonagall's office. "This is injustice," he repeated. "I can't believe you actually asked a teacher if you could use her office! And McGonagall, of all of them!"

Jewel didn't reply, and Sirius huffed again. "Stay still," Jewel reprimanded from behind him. Sirius decided to give her the silent treatment. He didn't talk while she brushed through his hair and separated his layers. He listened to her talk to herself softly and to the whisper of the scissors against his hair.

"You could have at least given me a mirror," Sirius said after twenty minutes of staring at McGonagall's boring wall.

"I'm done," Jewel said softly. She handed him a hand-mirror.

Sirius sat for a few moments with the mirror in his lap, breathing deeply. He brought the mirror to his face, closing his eyes tightly, then opened them. To his relief, his hair looked all right. It was the same haircut he had had at the beginning of the year, with his bangs a bit different. "Oh," he said. "All right."

"You look great," Jewel said, kissing him on the cheek. She set the comb in her hand down next to the brush and scissors.

"I do," Sirius admitted. He stood up and looked down at Jewel. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jewel said. She took the mirror from Sirius; and put her 'supplies' into her bag. "You'll get so many compliments it won't be funny. I hope you won't cheat on me."

Sirius smirked. "Well, I make no promises," he said. Jewel swung her bag over her shoulder and just rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, you could at least act like you care."

"You know I do," Jewel said.

"Oh, do I?" Sirius asked.

Jewel smiled, taking Sirius's hand. "Let's go," she said. "Have we got Astronomy tonight?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. He paused. "Wait . . . we're just going to leave?"

"Yeah," Jewel said, looking at him, confused. "What do you –"

"Well, we're in Professor McGonagall's office, unsupervised!" Sirius exclaimed. "We're not going to knick anything or look through her underwear drawer or try to blackmail her?"

Jewel laughed. "No," she said. "Don't be ridiculous. She made me swear that I wouldn't let you do anything in here."

"What?" Sirius asked. "No – I – I have to do something."

"No, you don't," Jewel said. "I'm Jewel, not James."

Sirius got an idea and he grinned. Jewel pulled on his arm. "I don't like the look in your eyes," she said flatly. "Let's go."

Sirius pulled Jewel close, wrapping his arms around him. Jewel didn't struggle, but only looked up at him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Let's snog," he said, "in Professor McGonagall's office."

Jewel looked at him for a moment, then started laughing. "Oh, right!" she said. "Right, and when she walks in on the two of us –"

"Come on, Jewel," Sirius said, leading his hands up her shirt.

"Stop it, Sirius," Jewel said, laughing harder. "You're insane – I knew it. Juniper tried to tell me when we started going out. We can't snog in here!"

"Come on!" Sirius exclaimed. "It'll be the most exciting moment of my pathetic life – please, just kiss me!"

Jewel threw her head back, closing her eyes and laughing. "It's not that funny!" Sirius said, grinning. He bent his head down, blowing raspberries on her neck. Jewel squealed, laughing and trying to push him away. "Shut up and kiss me!"

Jewel leaned against Sirius, laughing into his shirt. "No one's ever said that to me," she said breathlessly, finally calming down.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "When's she coming back?" he asked.

"I have no idea," Jewel said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "All right – you win." She pulled Sirius down, meeting his mouth with her own. But in a few moments, she started laughing again.

"What is wrong with you?" Sirius asked. "Can't I just have a decent snog in my Head of House's office?"

"Yes!" Jewel exclaimed. "Sorry. Wouldn't want to ruin the best moment of your life." She grinned at him, and kissed him again. This time she didn't start laughing.

--

"Lily, you can't keep avoiding me," Paul said. His arms were crossed. Lily looked at him with a calm look on her face.

"I'm not avoiding you," Lily replied. She just did all she could so that the two of them didn't have to talk. "We've both been busy and all . . ."

"I think we need to talk," Paul stated.

Lily nodded. Okay . . . talk. They sat down in a secluded part of the common room on a loveseat. Lily set her books down and looked at Paul. It was Saturday, and Paul looked anxious. It had been a while since they had actually talked. Easter hols were coming up already – she couldn't believe it was nearly April. They had gone out for nearly four months.

"Right," Lily said. "So, how have you been?"

"Good," Paul said, shrugging. "Busy."

"Yeah," Lily said. She paused, exhaling a breath. "Paul . . . I think we've been drifting apart . . ."

"Me, too," Paul replied. He was staring at a worn spot in the carpet. "I really like you, Lily. I mean, I really do."

Lily nodded, smiling at the side of his head. "I know you do," she said. She cringed. "I really like you, too. It seems like we're just not talking like we used to be, and we fight over stupid things . . ."

"Yeah," Paul nodded. He was chewing on his bottom lip. "Like the Quidditch game."

"That wasn't stupid," Lily said quickly. He hadn't even stuck up for her when James had gone off on her.

Paul looked up at Lily. "Yeah, it was," he said. "He wasn't even rude to you!"

Lily made an annoyed noise, then crossed her arms. "You don't even care about how people treat me," she said. Oh, lord, here it went again . . .

"Yeah, I do!" Paul exclaimed. "You go nutters over everything Potter does. It's stupid. He's stupid, why do you even care?"

Lily narrowed her eyes. "He hasn't been obsessed with you for a year now, has he?" she said snappishly.

The two of them fell silent, sighing. Lily shook her head. "I don't think this is working," she said. "I think we should break up."

Paul stayed still and made no motion that he had even heard her. "I think the only reason we got together was because of the mistletoe," Lily said slowly. "And then we started to like each other . . . but I don't know if it even means anything anymore, Paul . . ."

Paul nodded. He looked up at Lily. "Yeah," he said. Lily expected him to say more, but he broke it off at that. Oh, thank you for the wonderful input, Lily thought sourly.

"So . . .?" Lily said.

"So, I guess we're over," Paul said, shrugging. His shoulders sagged and he sighed. "I'll see you later, Lily." He got up off the couch and trudged his way out of the common room. Lily sighed, putting her head in her hands. Well, that went well . . .

The next day, she sat at the Gryffindor table during lunch alone. Mary was sitting with Katie and Paul. The latter seemed to have moved on pretty quickly. Marlene had been sitting with Lily, trying to talk to her about Paul, but then she remembered she had a Career meeting with McGonagall. Lily tried not to look at the laughing group next to her and munched on her turkey sandwich.

James Potter was walking towards his friends, whistling, then he stopped. He looked at Lily. "You all right?" he asked.

Lily looked up at him, then nodded. "Fine, Potter," she said coldly.

"I heard you two broke up," James said, half-glancing at Paul.

"Yes," Lily said, looking back at her dinner.

"What an arse," James said, shaking his head. "He doesn't even like Katie. He's probably just acting like that because he doesn't want you to see that he's really heartbroken."

"Maybe," Lily said. She was secretly touched, just a bit, by this comment, but didn't want him to see that.

"Say, what are you doing tonight?" James asked, leaning over the table. "Since you're free and all now . . ."

Lily looked up at James, her mouth hanging open. "You are so thoughtless!" she exclaimed. She glared at him while she gathered up her things.

"Hey, I said that one thing, didn't I?" James said indignantly.

Lily shot him a nasty look, then swept out of the Great Hall. What an arse . . .

--

If anyone got bored of birthday parties in the Gryffindor common room, no one admitted it. James's seventeenth birthday was just as crazy as everyone else's; treats smuggled from the kitchen and Honeydukes, a banner with a roaring lion, a singing birthday-gram.

Someone manipulated a Beatles record to play loudly. They were Muggles and even though they had already broken up, they were so popular, their music was even on the WWN. All the kids in Hogwarts knew the songs, and by the end of the night, James was singing to Lily _I Wanna Hold Your Hand_.

Sirius got James a new pair of Quidditch gloves. Peter gave him candy. "Candy again, Peter?" James asked. "You're so kind."

"He gets him candy every year," Remus told Lily.

He opened Remus's present next, which was an Ever-Bashing Boomerang. Lily rolled her eyes at Marlene, but decided not to say anything. His mum gave him her brother's watch. He passed it around to let everyone look at it. "He died in my first year," James said. "Death Eater attack."

There was a moment of silence and reverence as they gave the watch back to James. He latched it unto his wrist, a smile coming onto his face. James looked at his dad's letter. "He says he'll give it to me Easter hols," he said.

"That means it's too big for the owl," Sirius said, grinning.

After reading some cards others had made him, James enjoyed some corner time with Candace while everyone else celebrated his birthday. Lily enjoyed it, even though it was _James's_ birthday and Paul and Katie were all over each other. She danced with Remus and played Exploding Snap with Marlene. Sirius brought out the firewhiskey, drinking away and starting loud games.

The party went on late, but McGonagall came around after a while, reminding them all they had school the next day. They were lucky enough to get away without detention, and she even wished him a happy birthday.

--

**A/N: **Kate454, muddy worm, hpgurl3113, themeaningoflifeis42, psycho-pyro-shrink: Thanks for the reviews! They make my day :)

Next chapter: April Fool's. That's all I'm gonna say.


	13. April Fool's & Knickers

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **April Fool's Day rolls around, and the Gryffindors make the most of it.

**--  
**

"Is this really worth it?"

"Shhh!"

"There's something crawling up my leg."

"Moony, watch your hands."

"Oh, shut up."

"Shhh! Someone's coming!"

"We're going to go down in history for this."

"The boys who were brutally murdered by their teachers."

"The best pranks in April Fool's history!"

"The students who were witnesses were scarred for life!"

"Shut up, how can they pin all of these pranks on us when they all happened at the same time and we were only at one?"

"We're geniuses."

"We're dead."

"This is going to be hilarious."

"This is my favorite day of the year."

"Here comes Marlene! Right on time – it's eight o'clock, right on the dot."

"Pull it!"

"I'm too young to die."

"Pull it, Moony!" three voices whispered as loudly as they could without being caught.

Across the castle, hell broke loose. Pixies in the Hufflepuff common room, levitating mattresses in the girl's dormitories of the Gryffindor Tower, flooding toilets, doors locked themselves shut, curses, charms, dungbombs – and a very angry Marlene McKinnon, drenched in lake water.

"This is my second favorite day of the year!" Sirius yelled, running from the fifth year as he laughed loudly.

As Remus, Sirius, James and Peter sat in McGonagall's office, complaints and students streamed in. All of the Slytherins who had drunk the pumpkin juice had blue hair and purple skin; the oatmeal had aging powder in it and the enchanted ceiling was full of psychedelic colors and designs.

The day progressed and only got more chaotic. Knights of armors were enchanted to dance; some were enchanted to grab students into the dance with them; groups of them danced together. The giant squid was doing flips and tricks all day. The brooms in the broom shed attacked the students who attempted anything. Books flew, stepping on certain steps emitted bubbles, and doorknobs tried to bite hands.

Sirius wouldn't mind taking credit it for it all, but it certainly wasn't their idea to fill the Potions dungeon with flowers or charm the desks in Flitwick's room to talk. "We're not the only troublemakers in this school!" James said indignantly.

They were released after many detentions were given and many points were taken away. "It's not safe to go anywhere!" Mary said hysterically. "Avoid the third floor corridor, there are trees everywhere!"

"I just don't understand why the portraits don't know anything about this!" McGonagall said angrily.

"Maybe they were Memory Charmed," the Arithmancy professor suggested.

"You can't Memory Charm a portrait," Flitwick said kindly. "It just seems they enjoy all of the pranks, as they do every year."

The front steps of the castle tripped anyone who attempted walking down them, and Sirius was proud to take credit for that, although he did have a nasty bruise on the side of his hip. Jewel also clonked him on the back of his head for enchanting her underwear to sing, "Sirius Black loves me and I love him!"

"Why aren't they singing right now?" Sirius asked, rubbing his head gingerly. "Did you find the counter-curse?"

"No, I'm not wearing any!" Jewel said hotly.

"Oh, really?" Sirius asked, grinning.

By the end of day, the teachers and students alike were wiped out. The armchairs and couches in the Gryffindor common room made comments about all the bums that sat on them. Lily Evans had decided to sit on the ground before she even tried the armchair. Poor Frank.

After dinner, Gryffindor had Quidditch practice and James and Sirius pretended Sirius had fractured his arm but still tried to play. Halfway through practice, Sophie finally caught on when Sirius nearly fell off of his broom, but held unto his broom with his fractured arm. Then they practiced lightly for the next hour, the next game in six weeks. They left the pitch laughing.

Mary tried to talk Lily into acting like she wanted to go out with James, and then saying April Fool's! when he got excited, but Lily didn't have the heart to. "You're too nice," Mary said, shaking her head.

Instead, the sixth year Gryffindor girls conspired a different prank. Candace distracted Remus and Peter while James and Sirius were at Quidditch practice and Lily, Mary and Debra snuck up into their dorm. "I can't believe we're doing this," Lily said breathlessly while locking the door. Her heart was pounding. Doing something so against the rules gave her an adrenaline rush.

"Come on!" Debra giggled. The three girls started going through their trunks, trying to stay quiet. "They're going to kill us!"

Lily was looking through James's trunk, her heart pounding. Her stomach was tying itself into knots as she looked through his cluttered things. She found bundles of notes, old books and dirty clothes. "Do we have to take the dirty ones?" she asked, holding up a pair of boxers.

"Yes, otherwise they'll still have some!" Mary said. "Ooh, Sirius wears boxers and briefs. Look, he's got a picture of him and Jewel. How sweet."

"Firewhiskey," Debra said, holding up a bottle. "In Remus's trunk."

Lily shook her head, stuffing all of James's drawers into her book-bag. "Look, these have snitches on them," she said, shaking her head. "Where do you buy things like this?"

"Gah!" Mary said, throwing a magazine aside. "That's one cover I'd be better without."

"Try to make things look inconspicuous!" Debra exclaimed. "Really, if it looks like we've been here, our cover will be blown!"

"But they won't have any drawers, will they?" Mary asked, grinning.

"Ugh, look at this!" Lily exclaimed. She held up a picture of herself. She wasn't looking at the camera. "He has a picture of me!"

Mary broke down in laughter. "All right, I think I've got all of Remus's," Debra said. "That bed must be Peter's..."

"He's got more than one!" Lily exclaimed, pulling out more pictures. "I think I'm going to puke!"

Mary rolled on the floor, laughing. Debra kicked her. "Have you got all of Sirius's or what?" she asked.

Mary bent over Sirius's trunk, still laughing. She looked through his things some more, then put the magazine back. "I'm pretty sure it's all gone," she said. She looked under his bed and pulled out a dusty pair of briefs. "Okay, now it is..."

"Lily, are you done yet?" Debra asked.

"I haven't found the bottom yet," Lily replied, reaching farther under the mess that was James Potter's trunk. She found a wad of gillyweed, dirty socks, a mirror. After searching through the trunk one last time, she stuffed all of his drawers in her book-bag and closed it. "All right."

They helped Debra get Peter's, and they found a journal. "No, don't," Lily said, holding back a grin. "Mary, you're evil – leave it alone!"

"Come on, Quidditch practice is almost over," Debra said. She wrenched the journal from Mary and stuffed it into the trunk. She shut the trunk on Mary's fingers and they left the dorm.

Halfway down the steps, Mary started yelling. "Fine, you prat!" she shouted. "You think you're all that! Tell me I'm breaking the rules, you should have been a prefect!" She stormed into the common room. "I hate him!" She looked at Lily and Debra. "Sorry for even asking you to come with me. Who does he think he is?" She stormed across the Gryffindor common room, yelling more about Frank and stomped up the staircase to the girl's dormitory. She grinned at the two of them once they reached their dorm. Everyone assumed she had been fighting with Frank; and at the moment, Frank was in the library.

"Okay, I'll go get Candace," Debra said, an evil twinkle in her eyes.

Once Candace and Debra came back, they locked the door and emptied their book-bags. Mary took out her camera and the girls took various ransom pictures. They then charmed some of their own knickers just in case anything happened. "Should we enchant them to sing, like Sirius did Jewel's?" Candace asked thoughtfully.

"Maybe if we give them back," Lily said. "I'm exhausted. It's been such a long day, and tomorrow is Easter break!"

"I love break!" Mary said. She cheered, stuffing the drawers in an extra trunk under her bed.

"I'm hitting the shower," Debra said. "I don't know if I'll ever feel clean again . . ."

--

The next day, the girls carried around an equal amount of drawers in their book-bags. Lily enchanted their bags bigger and transfigured the various pairs of underwear to look and feel like more books – but not weigh the same. "Stay safe, girls," Lily said solemnly.

"Mrfh," Mary groaned from her bed.

Candace and Lily left for breakfast. They entered the common room and it seemed normal enough. They had reached the portrait hole when they heard a few familiar yells. Lily glanced over her shoulder as she stepped out of the portrait hole and saw James yelling at a few seventh years.

They went to breakfast, attempting to act normal. They sat down at the Gryffindor table with Marlene and some of her friends. The group talked mainly about the previous day and how they planned to spend their break for the first half of the breakfast. Then new Gryffindors flooded in and spread the word that underwear had gone missing.

By lunch, the entire school knew. The boys were walking around with no drawers at all, so they said. Lily couldn't piece together why they wouldn't just wear their dirty underwear. "It's bloody uncomfortable, too," James grumbled to Marlene and Jewel. "I think I just might go naked if someone doesn't return them soon..."

"I was going to go flying today," Sirius said. "But I'm not going anywhere like this."

Lily giggled as she passed by and Sirius called after her, "Oi, what's so funny, Evans?"

Lily looked over her shoulder, shrugging innocently, then continued walking to the library. At her usual table, she collapsed into a fit of giggles until her sides hurt. Halfway through her homework, James joined her. "You're supposed to put that off until the last moment," he said.

"So I've heard," Lily replied.

"Hey, Evans, I need my drawers back," James said in a desperate tone. "I know it was the sixth year Gryffindor girls – you're all avoiding us, and someone said you were in the boy's dorms last night –"

"We were talking to Frank," Lily said coolly.

"I'm not stupid, Frank broke up with Mary," James said. "But I am desperate. Please, Evans, I'll do anything for my underwear. Just one pair – I'll give you a thousand galleons."

"You don't have a thousand galleons," Lily replied.

"I'll pay it to you in installments over the next five years," James said. "Lily, I'm begging you." He got on his knees by her chair, an uncomfortable look on his face. "I'll leave you alone – I won't talk to you until the Quidditch game, I won't get you a Christmas present this year –"

"James," Lily said, "it wasn't me."

"You're a horrible liar," James said. "Okay, no, you're a pretty good liar, but I don't believe you! I mean, this was good – this was brilliant, we're all free-balling –"

"Please, spare me the details," Lily waved her hand and returned to her homework.

"If you don't give me back my drawers, I'll walk around naked tomorrow," James told her. "I swear I will. And you really don't want me to do that, all the girls will lose what little self-control they still have around me – they'll be rabid!"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself," she said. "The reaction will be nothing less than another detention and some blushing girls."

"Lily," James said her first name very seriously. "This is your last chance."

Lily began to laugh. "My last chance?" she said. "I don't even have your underwear!"

James looked at her, then started to shake his head in pity. "I'm sorry," he said, standing up. "It was nice knowing you."

He walked out of the library, looking very amusing with the way he moved his hips and legs. Lily giggled, then continued her homework, grinning.

She went to the Gryffindor common room after she had finished her homework, and the moment she walked into the portrait hole, Mary ran to her. She grabbed her arm and dragged her back out of the common room. "Mary!" Lily exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Shhh!" Mary exclaimed. She pulled Lily into an empty classroom and locked the door. "They were in our dorm and they're gone – all of my knickers are gone!"

Lily's eyes widened. "What?" she asked. "What, no –"

"Yes, they've gotten back at us!" Mary said. "I looked in your trunk, they're gone, too! I know there must be other stuff missing – I locked the door, but they must have broken the charm!"

"This is war," Lily said. She grabbed Mary's hand and they went up to their dorm. The place was a bit dirtier than usual, and it was obvious the boys hadn't tried to cover up their tracks as the girls had. At least Lily had had her diary with her...

"Is anything missing?" Mary asked as Lily rummaged through her trunk. "I mean, besides your underwear..."

"No, I don't think so," Lily said in relief. "Well, I can't find the pictures of me and Paul that I had..."

"Well, all of my Quidditch stuff is gone," Mary said. "When I get my hands on them, they're going to wish they were never born."

"I can't imagine what Potter is doing with my bras," Lily said, shaking her head. She sat down on her bed. "So . . . what do we do?"

"Surrender?" Mary suggested meekly, plopping down next to Lily.

"I would have hoped you had a little more courage than that," Lily said. She bit her lip, thinking. "Come on, we're Gryffindors! We've got to do something – we've got all of their drawers with us!"

"And they've got all of ours!" Mary said miserably.

Lily rolled her eyes. Mary MacDonald didn't even want to get revenge. "I know," she said. "What should we do? Sell them off to first years? Hang them up from the Quidditch goals?"

"Okay, Lily, I appreciate the Gryffindor spirit and all," Mary said, "but we are in a position in which we will be much more embarrassed than the four of them."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "No, we are not," she said. "We charmed them all to look nicer last night, and mended all of the holes and we even shrunk some of our granny-knickers last night, remember? We knew this could happen. I enchanted some of them to bite any male hands, too. At least they'll have bleeding fingers. But really, we've got to do something!"

Candace and Debra came in and the two of them told them all that had happened. Then, they started devising a plan.

~*~

Jewel waited by the Great Hall Entrance, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. As people passed, she heard rumors fly about the aftermath of April Fool's day, but waited until she decided to believe any of them.

She heard a familiar voice and looked up. Sirius was walking down the steps that came to the Great Hall, a smirk on his face. Oh, dear. He walked over to her, giving her a charming smile. "Hey," he said. He kissed her on the cheek. "I would just like you to know that you are dating a genius."

Jewel raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" she asked. That's what he had said last time, before he got in trouble for the itching powder in Terence Parker's drawers. "And why are you calling yourself a genius?"

"Oh, how I wish you were a Gryffindor," Sirius said. He took Jewel's hand and he started to walk. "Well, our drawers were stolen, right? So, we stole theirs. And we've dealt out the appropriate revenge."

"What did you do?" Jewel moaned.

"We've dealt out the appropriate revenge," Sirius repeated.

"Sirius," Jewel said, stopping him. "This isn't going to embarrass them, is it?"

"I doubt it," Sirius said. "All of their knickers are perfect – no holes, all of them perfectly clean . . . I think they charmed them all to be cute and perfect just in case we lashed back."

Jewel smirked. Lily was a clever one. "Well, what did you do?" she asked.

"I can't tell you," Sirius said. "You'll just have to find out."

"It won't make them cry, will it?" Jewel asked.

Sirius paused. "Well, girls are overly sensitive sometimes," he said. "No, no, don't worry, they won't cry, they won't be that embarrassed. We're being perfect gentlemen compared to some other ideas James had. In fact, Peter and Remus barely had a part of it. Remus told us what he thought was too extreme and Peter giggled the whole time."

Jewel paused. "And you won't be expelled?" she asked.

"No," Sirius said. "It's not something obvious. The teachers will only hear about it from the rumor mill, unless they decide to rat on us."

Jewel nodded. "All right, then you have my approval," she said and they started to walk again.

"Thank you, mum," Sirius replied.

"You are most welcome," Jewel said.

They had passed the third corridor, which was being cleaned out by Filch and half of the teachers, when they heard screams.

"What was that?" Jewel asked.

"My ingenuous work," Sirius said shortly. He started jogging towards the scream, pulling Jewel along beside him.

They were walking up to a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress with ruffles. She went unnoticed, however, because Lily and Mary were running around in the corridor, being attacked by a various assortment of knickers. The fat lady in the portrait was yelling, and the girls were screaming. A lacy black bra was pulling on Mary's hair and at least five pairs of knickers were pulling at her feet. Suddenly, they pulled her feet off of the ground and Mary fell, cursing. Lily fought her own bras and knickers viciously, her hair frazzled and her face flushed. She had her wand out, but the knickers took it from her hand and held it down on the floor.

Sirius was howling with laughter, and Jewel was laughing as well, but she felt guilty about it. "Oh, Sirius," Jewel said, taking out her wand.

"That won't...do anything..." Sirius gasped.

Jewel tried a few Freezing and Summoning Charms, but, as Sirius had said, they did nothing.

The portrait of the fat lady swung open, hitting Lily in the backside so that she fell over unto her knees. Out came Candace and Debra, also running from attacking knickers. James, Peter and Remus followed them, all three of them laughing their heads off. Lily grabbed her wand from a small thong and pointed it at James viciously, who was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed. She yelled a hex at him, one Jewel later tried to remember, but couldn't for the life of her.

All of the knickers attacking Lily suddenly froze and moved towards James with lightning speed. James opened his eyes only for a moment and a look of complete shock came unto his face before he was screaming and yelling from the knickers just as the girls were.

Lily started to pat down her hair and clothes as the chaos continued, then she waved her wand again. The portrait opened again, hitting Peter in the bum, and a long line of boxers and briefs came out of the hole. They were high up in the ceiling and moving along slowly in circles, down the corridors, away from Gryffindor Tower.

"Hey!" Sirius yelled, taking a moment to stop laughing at his best friend. The three boys went chasing after their drawers as Lily freed her friends from the attacking knickers. She looked at James, hesitated, and then waved her wand so that all of the bras and knickers froze in midair.

James stared at Lily in shock. "How did you do that?" he asked. "We fool-proofed these knickers!"

"Well, I'm no fool," Lily said, flipping her hair off of her shoulders. She pointed up to the ceiling. "There are your drawers, if you're looking for them."

James looked up at the ceiling and yelled in horror, taking out his wand and chasing after his friends.

"That was bloody amazing," Jewel said. "You're my new idol, Lily Evans."

Lily looked at Jewel, blushing, and gave her a smile. "I knew that they had charmed them against all charms," she said, "so I used a hex. Not exactly fool-proof. But clever."

Mary threw herself unto Lily, panting. "You saved our lives!" she exclaimed.

"I wonder what they would have done if you hadn't done anything," Candace said, lying on the ground.

The boys started to come back, their arms full of boxers and briefs. "All we had to do was Summon them!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Yes, I know," Lily replied. "But they floated three times around the common room."

"All right, that was clever," James said grudgingly.

"So was yours," Lily said approvingly.

There was a moment of silence.

"April Fool's," Mary finally said.

The nine of them started laughing. The Gryffindors started talking avidly, teasing each other and asking how they had done it. "Truce?" Remus asked. "Please, let this be the end."

"Truce," Debra agreed after looking to the other girls for approval.

They started to file back into their common room, still talking and laughing as though they played these kinds of tricks on each other all the time. Sirius walked over to Jewel and leaned down to kiss her. Jewel reached her head up, kissing him on the lips. "It was genius, right?" Sirius asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Genius," Jewel nodded.

Sirius smiled down at her. "I'll see you later," he said.

"Have fun," Jewel said. He turned and started to walk away. "Oh, wait." Sirius turned. "Can I have those ones with the Bludgers on them?"

Sirius looked down at his armful of boxers and briefs, pausing. "James bought them nearly two years ago, they're way too small," he said. He still seemed hesitant. He rolled his eyes. "James has ones with snitches on them."

"When he gives those to Lily," Jewel said, taking the pair, "I'm sure he'll understand."

She started to walk away, smiling at him. Sirius shook his head at her, walking towards the portrait. "He wouldn't ever give those away to her!" Sirius said.

"I'm sure he said the same thing about you!" Jewel called back to him. She smiled, shaking her head. Sirius and James; that was a friendship to marvel at.

--

Sorry that update took forever! I lost a memory stick, had to recover some files. Whew!

Next time...the sixth years head to the Ministry of Magic for their Apparition tests.


	14. Apparition Tests

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summary: **The sixth years learn the Hair Swapping Spell in Transfiguration. They also go to the Ministry to take their Apparition tests.

--

In the back of the classroom, James and Sirius were huddled over a piece of parchment full of notes and scribbles. "Slytherin only needs one hundred points to get ahead of us," James said.

"No, no, no," Sirius said. "Ravenclaw needs one hundred to get ahead of us. Slytherin needs two hundred."

"Oh, right," James said. "Well, we know Slytherin's going to win this Saturday."

"That gives them at least a hundred fifty," Sirius said. "Their Chasers aren't that bad."

James shook his head. "If we win against Ravenclaw with - wait -"

Lily looked back to them. "Did you know class is going on?" she asked.

"Evans, we know everything there is to know about Human Transfiguration," Sirius said with a haughty nod of his head. Lily rolled her eyes, returning to her note-taking. "Honestly."

"Anyway, if Slytherin gets two hundred points –" began James.

"Potter! Black!"

The two boys straightened up in unison, and Sirius swept the piece of parchment under his books. Professor McGonagall, from the beginning of the classroom, was looking at them intently.

"Would you like to come give us an example? See if you can accomplish the spell?" she asked, her lips pursed.

"Er –"

"Of course!" Sirius jumped to his feet. He was halfway to the front of the class before James stood. He had no idea what spell they were doing. He joined Sirius at the front before searching the board for some sort of hint as to which spell all the dry notes were related to.

The boys took out their wands, and Remus was motioning to his hair, then Peter's hair, then his own again, and mouthing something.

Sirius waved his wand, said something to James's head, and then the class was laughing. James reached up unto the top of his head – well, it was still there. He pulled it down over his eyes, and saw that it was platinum blonde. "Why, you –" James flicked his wand and Sirius's hair grew down to his waist.

Before Sirius could shoot back, Professor McGonagall stepped in between the two of them. "Not quite," she said, half-smiling. "That would be Charms, Mr. Potter. But impressive, no doubt. Now, would anyone else like to try the hair swapping spell?"

"Oh, we can do that," James said.

"Sit down, boys, perhaps you should listen next time," McGonagall said.

James and Sirius walked back to their seats, fixing each other's hair.

"Everything there is to know?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows. Sirius made a face at her, and she held back a smile.

They sat down in the back, laughing. McGonagall pulled up two new students: Jewel and Candace. Candace's chest-length wavy dark blonde hair was falling over her shoulders, and Jewel's hair fell in a mess around her head, her brush seemed to be unforgotten. Candace gave Jewel a wary look as she took out her wand.

"This should be interesting," James said, smirking.

"Oh, come on, James," Sirius said, motioning to the piece of parchment with Quidditch notes.

"It's your girlfriend, you prat," James said.

Sirius looked up. "Oh," he said. "So it is." He smiled at her as she took out her wand. Jewel turned to the sixth year Gryffindor, looking over her hair.

"Now, I chose the two of you so that the color wouldn't be too hard to switch," Professor McGonagall explained. "As you can see, your colors are similar. But it's the form and length that's different." She extended her hand. "Remember to pronounce it correctly, girls. We'll learn it non-verbal in a week or two. Count to three together."

"1...2...3 – Cauponor!" Jewel and Candace said together.

Spells shot across the room. Jewel's hair grew longer rapidly fast and Candace's started to disappear from the bottom up. Jewel's stopped, with the exact look of Candace's previous hair. Candace, however, had gone completely bald within a few moments. She started screaming, covering her naked head, as most of the class tried to hold back their laughter. The Slytherins didn't bother.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, waving her wand. As quickly as it was gone, so it was back. Jewel and Candace had identical hairstyles. The latter was crying, trying to get over her shock, and Jewel was feeling the long hair cautiously.

"Good job," McGonagall said, patting Candace's arm. "You went a bit too short. It happens often. But nothing happens for most people. Thank you, girls – why don't you take a seat?"

"Er – what about my hair?" Jewel asked.

"Oh," McGonagall said. She waved her wand and Jewel's original hair returned. Sirius made a catcall. Jewel winked at him, sitting back down. "So, we can learn from Candace's mistake."

Twenty minutes later, McGonagall allowed them to match up with partners and try the spell. Candace hooked up with Debra, who had a length close to her own. Sirius and James accomplished the spell the second try, and made fun of one another for a while. After they noticed Peter couldn't do it with Remus, they switched partners and James tried to help Peter.

"James has such patience," Sirius said, feeling his own hair on his head. "He's so noble." He clapped James on the back, then looked at Remus. "Okay, you and I, let's go."

After ten or fifteen minutes, Sirius and Remus achieved the spell. "How do I look?" Sirius asked. He flipped his head and Remus laughed. "That bad, huh?" He ran his hands through the hair on Remus's head. "Black looks good on you."

"If you insist," Remus said with his eyebrows raised.

"I do," Sirius said, nodding. "Kind of sexy. You should dye it."

Remus laughed. "Yeah, right," he said.

"No, honestly," Sirius said. "Hey, Evans, MacDonald, doesn't Remus look good with black hair?"

The girls looked at Remus for a few moments. "Yeah," Mary said, nodding. She grinned at Sirius. "One thing's for sure, you don't look good in blond."

"I don't have blond hair," Remus said.

"No, you have black hair," Sirius said. "And it's bloody sexy. Tell him, Evans."

"It looks good, Remus," Lily said sincerely.

"You just have to remember to wash it, or you'll start looking like Snivellus," Sirius said, nodding.

"Do you really have to say comments like that every time you get the chance?" Lily asked.

"Yes, yes, I do," Sirius replied.

Lily rolled her eyes, turning back to Mary.

"Something you have to say about your boyfriend?" Sirius asked, glancing over at Snape, who had Avery's short brown hair. Avery looked a bit disgusted to have Snape's long hair.

Lily gave him a cool look and shook her head. "You're an idiot," Mary said. "They're not even friends anymore."

"Sorry, was I talking to you?" Sirius asked.

"Yes!" James yelled next to them. Sirius turned and looked. Peter had a mop of messy black hair on his head and James had an awkward-looking bowl cut. "Nice job, Peter!" He gave Peter a high-five, and grinned at Sirius and Remus.

"Never go blond," James advised Sirius.

"Same goes for you, pal," Sirius said, smirking.

James looked over at Mary and Lily, who were whispering now, their hair switched. He looked at Lily for a moment. "Whoa," he said. "She looks so different with brown hair, don't you think?"

Sirius shrugged. "Yeah, I guess," he said.

James looked at her unabashedly, his mouth slightly open. "No shame at all," Sirius said to Remus, shaking his head.

"It's Prongs," Remus said, shrugging.

Class let out, and, as she performed the counter-curse on students as they left, McGonagall said, "Next class, we'll work on the counter-curse, and then move on to different parts of the face, like eyes, ears, noses, skin. Work on this if you feel like you need to."

As the four boys went to the common room, James was quiet. Sirius punched him in the shoulder. "Why are you so quiet, Romeo?" he asked, draping his arm over his shoulders.

"No reason," James said. "Hey, we've got practice tonight!"

--

A week before Slytherin played against Hufflepuff, the sixth years took their Apparition tests. All those who were of age got to leave Hogwarts to go to the Ministry of Magic. "We'll see you children later!" Sirius called to Remus and Peter as they left the common room. Remus's birthday was only two weeks away, but Ministry rules were law.

Down at the Hogwarts train station, they boarded unto the Hogwarts Express. "Are Jewel and Juniper coming?" James asked Sirius.

Sirius shook his head. "They turn seventeen this summer," he said. He saw a few guys sitting in one compartment, but walked past it when he saw Kingsley Shacklebolt. He and Jewel were talking a lot lately. They joined Lily, Debra, Candace, and a Hufflepuff girl that looked sort of familiar.

"Are you ready?" Candace asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Of course," he said.

"Weren't you the first one to get Splinched?" James asked the Hufflepuff girl.

"What a wonderful way to start a conversation," Lily said mildly.

"That was me," the girl said.

"What's your name?" Sirius asked.

"Alice Hodge," the girl replied.

"Oh, gods, you were the girl Mary kept complaining about during that one Hogsmeade trip," James said. He rolled his eyes and imitated Mary. "What does she have that I don't?"

The girls giggled, and Alice blushed. "Did she really take it like that?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah," Sirius said.

The train ride was about two hours long. The boys started talking about Quidditch, and the girls were soon talking about their upcoming tests. Halfway through, Lily took out The Daily Prophet. She turned to the obituaries, which received much more space than they had four years ago. She skimmed over the names; she didn't know any of them, but she didn't usually. She felt lucky being Muggleborn, since she was slightly disconnected from the war. Her family was, for the most part, safe.

"Can I see that?" Sirius asked.

Lily nodded, handing it over to him. Sirius started to flip through it. "I don't like this new Minister," he said.

Lily winced. "Um," she said. She looked at Debra, her eyes wide.

"Hey," Debra said.

"He's just a tool," James cut her off.

"What do you mean?" Candace asked.

"He's being used by You-Know-Who," James said.

"He's my uncle," Candace said, glaring at them.

Sirius looked up from the paper, his mouth falling open. He looked over at James. "Harver Ogden is your uncle?" he asked.

Candace nodded. There was a tense silence in the compartment. Sirius paused. "Your mum or dad's side?" he asked.

"Mum's," Candace said.

Sirius just nodded, returning to his paper. Candace looked at James, her arms crossed. Then she looked back at Sirius. "You think he's being used by You-Know-Who?" she asked, her voice quivering with anger.

"Well..." James trailed off, "he appointed Abraxas Malfoy as Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He's taken away Auror privileges. Since he's decided that they're not allowed to go places unless there's a direct request for them, there's been forty percent more deaths and attacks."

"Aurors were just showing up places," Candace said. "They weren't where they were supposed to be."

"Oh, right," James said sarcastically. "Maybe that's what your uncle told you -"

"I read it in the paper," Candace shot back.

"Well, the paper's on his side," James said. "It's biased, it's not reliable."

"They found at least five accounts where the Aurors were slacking on the job," Candace said.

"According to their standards of slacking," James said. "They were investigating deaths. One of them was the attack on Alice's family."

"What?" Alice asked.

James looked at her. "Yeah," he said. "Moody was interviewing people, but when Malfoy found him, he said he wasn't doing sufficient Auror work. He made him leave right then. I'm sure Moody's still looking, though."

"You are?" Alice said.

"Yeah, Moody will do find it," James said.

"You know him?" Lily asked, trying not to seem impressed.

Before James had a chance to brag, Sirius stepped in, "Whether your uncle's being used or not, he's not making the smartest decisions. Especially when Aurors are all we have."

"You mean there's no one else fighting?" Lily asked.

"There are Hit Wizards," Sirius said. "But they won't give anyone else the right to fight; only the right to defend. If I met a Death Eater on the street and killed him, I might get sent to Azkaban."

"Well, that does make sense," Debra said.

"You think so?" Sirius asked.

"Not just anyone can go around killing people," Lily said. "If they took that law away, how many people would use it as an excuse for murder? The Ministry is just trying to keep order."

"Well, it's failing," James said.

Lily crossed her arms. "I'm going to the bathroom," Candace announced. She stood up and left. Lily thought about going with her, but decided she probably needed some time to herself.

"Gods," James breathed. "A warning would have been nice."

"She talked nonstop about it when he was elected," Lily said. "Maybe you should listen to her more often instead of just snogging her."

James narrowed his eyes at her, and she gave him a smug smile.

The rest of the train ride was a bit tense, and they avoided the heavy topics that were now rolling about in their minds. To her surprise, Lily actually wanted to talk to Sirius and James later about the war and the Ministry. For idiots, they seemed to know a lot about the situation. She did her reading, too, and listened to all she could, and talked to the professors, but there was that disconnect that she had enjoyed earlier. She didn't understand all of the workings of the wizarding world, and she didn't have family who worked at the Ministry who could give her insight.

She didn't tell the others, but this would be her first time at the Ministry of Magic. The sixth years had been instructed to dress in Muggle clothes since they were going to walk through downtown London. Professor McGonagall looked very odd out of her usual robes; she wore a nice maroon dress, but the students were still getting used to it.

They got off at King's Cross, and a group of about fifteen students followed Professor McGonagall into the station in pairs of two. Lily walked next to Alice and Candace behind the rest of the group. She saw Severus walking next to Avery, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, both of them looking like he had sized them magically so he could wear them today. As they passed a telly, she saw an old football game. With so much Quidditch, it was hard to remember how much she loved football.

They exited King's Cross, and McGonagall stood there for a moment with a Muggle map. Lily walked forward. "We're walking to the...to where we're going?" she asked.

McGonagall nodded. She pointed to the spot on the map where they were going. Lily glanced around. "You know, professor, this isn't the safest place to walk around," she said.

"Don't worry," McGonagall said. "We've done this for a few years."

"All right," Lily said, shrugging. They walked for twenty minutes through the inner city area. The pureblooded children tried to hide their wonder at certain aspects of the Muggle world; such as cars, stoplights. Lily saw things they didn't; prostitutes, drug dealers. They got on a shabby street with a wall of graffiti.

Professor McGonagall looked around. She waved her wand, probably performing some sort of Charm in case Muggles were around. "All right, who's entered the Ministry of Magic through this phone booth before?" she asked.

About half of the students raised their hands. "Very well," she said. "You are going to enter this phone booth with in groups of three, push the numbers '62442' and tell the Welcome Witch that you are here for your Apparition tests. Understood?"

They waited while students started entering the phone booth. They would stand there for a few moments, receive pins, and then the telephone booth would go down into the ground like a lift. Once they were close to Professor McGonagall, who was keeping watch, Lily asked, "Why didn't we just come through Portkey?"

"Coming this way exposes everyone to Muggle ways," McGonagall replied. "And they can use this way in the future if they need to."

Lily nodded. She entered the booth with Candace and Alice. They were soon in the Ministry of Magic. They walked down a small hall. After being stopped by the security guard who used a Probity Probe and registered their wands, they entered the main part of The Atrium. The entire right-hand side contained fireplace after fireplace, where witches and wizards occasionally Flooed in and out. The floor was a polished dark wood while the ceiling was a peacock blue with golden symbols moving across it. There was a large fountain with five golden figures; a witch, a wizard, a centaur, a goblin, and a house-elf.

"Wow," Lily said, looking around.

"You ever been here before?" Candace asked.

Lily shook her head.

"Wicked," Candace said with a smile.

Professor McGonagall told them to get onto to the lifts in the groups and get off at level six. There were interlevel memos flying above their heads in bright colors. "I wonder if we can visit dad," James said.

"Your dad works here?" Lily asked.

"He's a Hit Wizard," James said proudly.

"Maybe you should spend more time listening to him and less time yelling at him," Sirius said smugly.

Lily narrowed her eyes as they got off of the lift. She nearly ran into Severus. "Sorry," she said, blushing. He met her eyes for a moment, but quickly looked away.

The group of them was taken to a large room by a man in yellow robes. "Welcome," he said. "Today you will be tested on your ability to Apparate. To pass, you must successfully Apparate to a specified destination without splinching yourself."

The testing took quite long. They each had to take pictures for their Apparition licenses. There were four different spots around level six, but Apparition wards kept them from leaving the Ministry. They were randomly given one of the four spots. After filling out paperwork for Apparition files, they Apparated and then waited for everyone else while eating sandwiches provided by the aides in the test center.

Lily stood and breathed deeply while the witch who was in charge of testing wrote on her clipboard.

"Let me repeat this back to you," she said. "Lily Aegina Evans. Born January 30th 1970. Muggleborn. Gryffindor expected to graduate 1978 with Arithmancy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration NEWTs."

"Yes," Lily said.

"All right," the witch said. "Take a few moments, and feel free to Apparate whenever you're ready."

Lily nodded. Determination, deliberation, and destination. She took out her wand, took a deep breath, and spun on the spot. After the horrible feeling of Apparition, she arrived at her destination twenty feet away. She looked at the wizard who was also grading her. She felt her body up and down. "I'm alive," she said.

He stood up, examining her. "It doesn't seem like you left anything behind, either," he said.

There was a voice that came from a red box on the table by the chair in which he had been sitting. "Nothing Splinched," the witch's voice said approvingly.

"Congratulations," the wizard said. "We'll have your license at the end of the day."

Lily waited with Alice. Candace had gotten permission to go see her uncle. After Sirius and James had passed, they also left to see James's dad. There were only a few who didn't pass; Jonathon Smith and Holly Nice. Holly was so nervous she left her ponytail, and Jonathon was so excited he forgot a shoe. "Luckily it wasn't anything too much," the wizard said kindly as Holly held back tears. "You can try again later, but you have to wait at least a week."

--

Upstairs, James and Sirius were leaving Mr. Potter's office, pumped that they had passed. "We can Apparate anywhere now," Sirius said.

They got on the lift to go back to level six, talking about all the places they could go that summer without having to worry about Floo or asking Mrs. Potter for a Portkey. The lift opened on the next floor. Sirius's blood froze as Sirius's cousin Narcissa Malfoy and her husband Lucius Malfoy greeted them. Narcissa met his eyes, then regarded him coolly. Lucius smirked at the two of them, getting unto the lift. Narcissa followed hesitantly.

"Apparition tests?" Lucius asked.

"Yeah," Sirius said.

"Did you pass?" Lucius asked.

"Mmhmm," Sirius nodded.

"Congratulations," Lucius said, raising his eyebrows. He looked at James, a look of disgust coming unto his face.

"What about you?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, I was just visiting my father," Lucius said. "You know he's been promoted to Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"I heard," Sirius said curtly.

The lift door opened again, and two more people got on. Narcissa stepped closer to her husband, holding unto his arm. Sirius rolled his eyes. She looked beautiful still, her blonde locks falling down her back, but she looked years older. Whatever was going on in her life, it wasn't very good for her health.

When they came to level six, James and Sirius stepped off. "Good day," Sirius told them, not looking at either of them. They had gotten back just in time, the rest of the students getting ready to leave.

The train ride back was uneventful. At first, everyone who had passed the test was excited. They exchanged licenses and talked about the things they would do. After twenty minutes or so, the excitement died down. James fell asleep up against the window. Candace remained silent, staring out the window. Sirius was reading the paper, and rest of the girls had books they were reading. Occasionally James would snore, and then Sirius would kick him in the knee.

"Git," James said, finally kicking him back.

"Stop snoring," Sirius said.

"I'm not snoring," James said sleepily.

Sirius saw a small article on the Malfoys, about all the good things they're doing for society. Lucius, only in his twenties, was already giving to St. Mungo's and the Ministry. He sighed, tossing the paper aside. He looked at Candace. Even though she was in denial, at least he wasn't the only one with crazy family members.

--

Thanks for the reviews! You guys rock :]

Next chapter, things get exciting......the end of the year Quidditch game, a student goes home after a family meber is attacked, and there's a brawl on the lawn of the Hogwarts! Any guesses on who's involved?


	15. The Brawl

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Summary (of chapter): **Last Quidditch game of the year, OWLs/NEWTs begin, and a brawl breaks out.

**--  
**

It was the last Quidditch game of the year – Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw. The game for the Quidditch Cup.

"Good luck," Lily Evans said as the Gryffindor team left breakfast to go down to the pitch.

In the Gryffindor locker room, James gave his team a pep talk, his heart racing. "I know we can win this," he said. "We beat them last time. We won the Cup last year and we'll win it again this year. Sophie, keep your eyes open for the snitch – Williams is a horrible Seeker, I don't know why he even has the position. You, on the other hand, are exceptional."

They left the locker room with their brooms. "Good luck, everyone," James said. He nodded at Sirius, who looked slightly sick, but determined. They walked out to the pitch amidst various cheers, where the Ravenclaw Quidditch team met them.

"Captains, shake hands!" Madam Hooch said.

James and Liam Gertram shook hands, and released quickly. "Mount your brooms!"

The balls were released. The whistle blew. James kicked off of the ground, soaring into the air. The air flew through his hair, blowing it back from his head. Marlene had the Quaffle. He half-turned and started to speed to the goals where Michael Watterson was just now settling. He leaned forward on his broom, looking over his shoulder towards Marlene. She passed the Quaffle to Nathaniel Short as the two of them flew towards the Ravenclaw goalposts. They passed it back and forth, avoiding the Bludgers and Ravenclaw Chasers.

"The Quaffle flies back and forth between Short and McKinnon," Mary announced. "Black shoots a vicious Bludger to Ravenclaw Chaser Shacklebolt – oh! He narrowly misses it – and Potter catches the Quaffle – he shoots it to the goals, but it's caught by the other Watterson! He throws it out to Trudeau – Trudeau is speeding to the goalposts –" James flew away from Watterson to the other side of the pitch.

The Quaffle was passed around for at least thirty minutes, with no scores made. They needed to pick it up...he made a motion to the other Chasers, then looked at Sirius. They locked eyes and nodded.

Marlene had the Quaffle and was flying to the goalposts, averting the Ravenclaw Chasers. She threw the ball to James, who dove to catch it. He threw it to Nathaniel, on the other side of the posts. He caught it, but then threw it back to James. Watterson dove for the ball, but it went over his head to James. James chucked the ball through the nearest goalpost. There was a ding and a roar from the crowd.

"Potter makes the first goal for Gryffindor!" Mary yelled.

James and Nathaniel flew back to the middle of the pitch, high-fiving in mid-air.

After the first score, the game was full-on. Within thirty minutes, the score was forty to fifty, Ravenclaw in the lead. Sophie had seen the snitch once, but it had escaped her when the a bludger had nearly knocked her off of her broom. Williams, the Ravenclaw Seeker, had had two false alarms. Ravenclaw made another score. Madam Hooch threw it back into the pitch.

Nathaniel flew up and caught it in the air. The crowd cheered as he flew towards the goalposts.

"Wait a second – it looks like Sophie might have seen the snitch!" Mary yelled. James glanced over his shoulder as he flew forward.

"Potter, watch out!"

James looked just in time and spun out of the way before a Bludger hit him. He looked at the one who had yelled at him – Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Thanks!" he called over. He spun around on his broom to watch Sophie dive after the snitch. Williams pelted after her.

There was a ding! "Ten points for Gryffindor, a goal made by Short!" Mary announced. "Both Seekers are after the snitch now – Sophie Dillon seems to be extremely close – they're close to the ground now –" The crowd held its breath as both Seekers flew straight for the ground. The snitch flew up, flapping its wings rapidly. Sophie turned up just in time, spinning wildly in the air, but Williams wasn't so lucky. He hit the ground, rolling over a few times. Sophie lurched out and she slowed down, throwing her fist up. The crowd gasped and Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

"YES!" James yelled. He sped over to Sophie. "Sophie!"

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team gathered around their small Seeker, yelling in triumph and joy. "Gryffindor's won the game! Gryffindor's won the Quidditch Cup!" Mary yelled. "Yes! Yes, GO GRYFFINDOR!" Her and McGonagall were hugging and jumping up and down.

The Gryffindors landed on the pitch to be surrounded by other students. Madam Hooch brought out the Quidditch Cup and held it out for James. He took it in his arms triumphantly. He looked at Sirius, grinning. "We won, Sirius!" he yelled.

"We won!" Sirius repeated.

James gave it to Sophie and, in unison, Sirius and James lifted the second year unto their shoulders, chanting. The Ravenclaws gathered around to shake hands gloomily while all the other students and staff crowded around the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Sophie screamed as Sirius handed her over to Paul. Jewel ran up to Sirius, throwing her arms around him, and pulling him into a kiss.

"Must I remind you of the No PDA rules again, Mr. Black?" Professor McGonagall asked, though her grin did nothing for her tone of voice.

"McGonagall!" Sirius squealed. He kissed his Head of House on the cheek, then tackled Remus and Peter down, giving them kisses, as well.

"Gack – get – off!" Remus said, somewhere underneath Sirius.

Sophie was back on her feet and the Gryffindors were moving, as a multitude, off of the pitch. James hooted and hollered, passing the silver cup to his other team members. Through the crowd, she was there, all green eyes and bright cheeks. Her hair flying behind her, Lily hugged him. He suddenly had no idea what to do with his hands and his arms felt too long and her hair was in his mouth and was he dreaming? He thought their first hug would be a fantastic hug; he would pick her up and turn her around and then would be followed by an amazing, breathtaking kiss. Lily pulled away, grinning up at James. "We won, Potter!" she exclaimed, laughing. "We won! Nice job!"

"Thanks," James said breathlessly. God, he was still breathing – air goes in, air goes out, air goes in, air goes out.

They fought their way to the locker room, then made their way to the Gryffindor common room, and Sirius snuck Jewel in, and no one cared in the least bit.

The Gryffindor festivities carried on throughout the day. There was candy and drinks and all kinds of snacks. After a certain hour, the common room was a bit dangerous. Mary and Marlene had loud music on, and they were dancing with everyone in sight. Marlene pulled Remus out of his seat. Mary danced with Paul, causing Katie to vent to her friends in the corner of the room. Lily joined in for fun, but soon started talking to people and playing Exploding Snap and eating too many chocolate frogs.

"I need everyone's attention!" James said. He was standing on top of a couch with a firewhiskey bottle in his hands. "I'd like to make a toast – to Gryffindor!"

The room cheered, drinking down their drinks. "To the Quidditch Cup!" James yelled. "To red and gold! To victory! To Godric! To armchairs!"

"All right, Potter, we get the point," Sirius said, surfacing from Jewel.

"Shove off, you snogging lump!" James said. He slipped off of the couch, and Candace helped him up. He leaned on her, giving her a crooked smile, waggling his eyebrows. She giggled, wrapping an arm around him. Their conflicting opinions about her uncle went away in light of the celebrations.

Even Remus and Peter got a little something from the party, though Sophie was taken by other second years.

--

The week after the last Quidditch match was the last week of classes before final exams. Most of their classes were review. Remus and Peter took copious amounts of notes. James kept his ear open for certain things, writing down things he knew he wouldn't remember or didn't understand fully. Most of it was easy, though, and he passed stupid notes with Sirius and wrote his very own comic called Specs Man.

On Tuesday, Sirius skivved off of Charms after staying up all night with Jewel. He showed up for Herbology, looking much better than he had that morning when James tried to get him to go to breakfast. He took a seat next to Remus, in front of James and Peter.

"Hey," James said, leaning forward over the desk. Sirius leaned back in his chair. "Nice to see you in class, young man."

"Did I miss anything in Charms?" Sirius asked.

"Nah, easy stuff," James shrugged.

"We went over the Summoning Charm," Remus informed Sirius.

"Oh, yeah," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Sirius," Lily said as she walked to the desk behind Remus and Sirius. She sat down next to James. Was hell freezing over? "I thought you would be in the infirmary. Feeling all right?"

"Feeling just fine, thanks," Sirius replied, smirking at her.

Lily shook her head, taking out her books. James looked surprised and eyed Lily as though she were a poisonous bug. He looked at Sirius, looking thoroughly confused. Sirius just smirked and looked to the front, shaking his head.

During Herbology, they took notes over the year in bulk, a general review for the exam coming up next class. Sirius wrote for the bulk of the class period; wrote notes to Remus, wrote a letter to Andromeda that he would never send, wrote a story about nothing.

James found it extremely odd to sit next to Lily Evans for a double class of Herbology. He took notes for the first half of the class, but then gave up – he knew it all, anyway. He talked with Peter and made paper figures.

After getting bored of throwing paper airplanes at Sirius, James made a flower. He slipped it over to Lily across the desk. "Cute," she said. She pushed it back over to him.

"Oh, come on, take it, you can put it with that necklace," James said, pushing the flower to her.

Lily glared at him. "Why do you even have to mention that?" she asked.

"Mention the gift that you tried to give back?" James asked, smirking.

"Yes," Lily said. She pushed the flower back to him. "No thanks, James."

"Fine, I'll give it to Sirius," James said. He leaned forward, tapping Sirius's shoulder. Sirius turned and saw James's flower.

"You ponce," Sirius said, taking the paper figure.

A few minutes later, Sirius threw it back to James. His former flower was deformed into a vulgar shape. Lily made an annoyed noise and she rolled her eyes. Only Sirius Black. She shook her head, focusing on the Herbology board in the front of the class. James was laughing silently next to her.

"You are so immature," Lily told James.

"You like it," James said.

"Honestly," Lily said, rolling her eyes again.

When the class was over, James handed her the paper folding again, and it was re-folded into a flower. "Here," he said.

Lily took it from him, sighing, and left the room without saying anything else to him.

"James, what did you do with my sculpture?"

"Er . . ."

--

Marlene sat by the fireplace in the common room, studying for Potions. She hated OWLS, she hated exams, she hated everything. She wanted to drop out and die.

Her first OWL was tomorrow, Potions, and then Astronomy at night. There were fifth and seventh years cramming for the next excruciating week. She couldn't believe she had put so much studying off. She couldn't remember the Draught of Peace at all. She started reading through the chapter in her book, and had been diligently concentrating for almost five minutes when Lily's voice distracted her. Across the room, Marlene watched as Lily shooed James and Sirius away from her.

The two of them made their way over to her. Marlene rolled her eyes. "What is it now?" she asked. "I have a lot of studying to do."

"We've got just the thing to help," Sirius said with a grin. "The strongest Wit-Sharpening Potion, only two galleons for a flask."

"Oh, come on," Marlene said. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"I'm sorry, is that a trick question?" James asked.

"Go away!" Marlene said, laughing.

Instead, Sirius sat down next to her. "We've also got Draught of Peace and Memory Potions," he said coyly.

Desperate as she was, Marlene knew not to buy anything from them. "I have to study," she said. "I'm sure Candace will buy some."

"Lily's already warned her," Sirius said.

"We may be able to give you the family discount for some Felix Felicis," James said, leaning closer.

Marlene laughed. "Right," she said. "As your little sister, I demand you to leave me alone."

"We told Alice Hodge that we were related, can you believe she thought we were lying?" Sirius said while shaking his head.

"She knows my brothers," Marlene said.

James rolled his eyes, also sitting down. Marlene sighed; she was never going to get any studying done. Maybe she should go to her room. "We're your new brothers," he said.

"Oh, I forgot," Marlene said. "You guys want to get me the answers for the exams?"

"No, but we will sell you this lovely -"

"I'm not buying anything!" Marlene exclaimed.

She saw the portrait hole swing open. Professor McGonagall came in. As she walked in, the room went silent. She never came unless they were in trouble or. . .there was bad news. With horror, Marlene realized she was walking over to the three of them. She looked at her Head of House, her heart slamming against her ribcage. "What is it?" she asked.

"I need you to come to my office, McKinnon," McGonagall said, a solemn look on her face.

Students nearby watched as Marlene put her book in her bad and stood up. "What happened?" she asked.

"Let's talk in the corridor," McGongall said.

She left her bookbag by her armchair and followed McGongall to the corridor. "Your brother is in St. Mungo's," she said.

"Which one?" Marlene asked.

"Doug," McGongall replied.

"Well, is he okay? What happened?" Marlene asked. She wanted to get out of here right away and see him.

"Your mother is waiting in my office to take you home," McGonagall said. "Would you like to run and get some clothes?"

"No, I've got some at home," Marlene said. "Let's just go."

--

Marlene's brother was mentioned next morning in section B of the Daily Prophet, a new section in the paper set apart solely for the war and related articles.

"He's in St. Mungo's for serious rib damage," Lily told Mary.

"Damn," Mary breathed. "No one's safe."

Lily frowned, knowing the truth of this. Mary's brother had been sentenced to six months in Azkaban for assisting Death Eaters. Mary had been pretty torn up about it, but didn't talk about it much. Lily had read about it in the paper, after which Mary admitted the truth to it. Her brother got out in a few days, as the Daily Prophet had again been so graceful to announce. Students had treated Mary differently, but Mary was a fairly resilient person. Those affected by the war didn't have many choices other than resilience. Talia Deradt's grandparents had been Kissed by stray dementors. The fifth year Hufflepuff Nathan Bole had a brother who had been attacked by a werewolf last month.

Lily was stressed about exams, but much less stressed than many of her classmates. The week passed by, the students highstrung and under stress. She figured she did all right; she only had to pass the class so she would get in seventh year, right?

She sent Marlene a short owl to see how she was. There were rumors flying around about his brother and who was involved in his attack.

A few days later, half of their tests our of the way, Lily and Mary decided to study outside by the lake. It was warming up; the spring slowly turning into summer. They sat by the lake. Lily lay on her stomach, reading Transfiguration. Her and Mary would get distracted and talk, but Lily never took homework time with Mary serious. She couldn't concentrate for longer than ten minutes. James and his friends were about twenty feet away, doing nothing in particular. Lily wished she didn't notice them. She used to be able to ignore them. If only they could go back to fourth year.

"My brother came home yesterday," Mary said while Lily was reading about Human Transfiguration.

Lily looked up from her book. "Really?" she asked. "Is he going to stay there?"

Mary shook her head. "He's getting his own place," she said. "He sent me an OWL."

"What did it say?" Lily asked. Mary didn't open up very often, so Lily tried to be gentle when she decided to.

"Not much," Mary said, watching a group of Slytherins leave the castle. "That he was sorry if he caused me any trouble, and he wouldn't be that stupid again. It was short."

Lily paused, not quite sure what to say for a moment. "Are the two of you close?" she asked.

"Sort of," Mary said. "He's five years older than me, so we're prettyy far apart. But he used to always look after me, you know. I don't know. It's weird."

The Slytherins walked by them, Evan Rosier leading them. Severus was with them, as well as Sirius's brother. "Hey, where's your friend McKinnon?" Rosier called over to Lily.

Lily looked over at him, knowing he already knew. "She went home because her brother was attacked," she said tensely.

Rosier glanced over his shoulder at the other Slytherins. "Why do you think he got attacked?" he asked Lily, a smirk on his face.

"Why don't you tell us?" James called over.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rosier asked, his demeanor changing from a playful sarcastic expression to one of defense.

"I mean your dad probably told you all about that attack," James said. "He was there, wasn't he?"

A number of wands was drawn. Lily sat up warily. Rosier glared at James. "Why do you think my father was there?" he asked.

"Because he's not an idiot," Sirius snarled.

"Could have fooled me," Avery said from Rosier's left. The boys chuckled.

"That was a good one," James said, nodding solemnly.

Rosier pointed his wand at James. James stood up, pointing his wand back at him. Sirius and Remus were quick to get to their feet, and Peter only hesitated for a moment. Lily glanced around; there were no teachers around. Rosier, Regulus, Remus, and herself were the only prefects around, but they knew the first three had no intention of stopping a duel. Lily was afraid that more than a duel could come out of this; but rather a brawl with all nine boys.

"So, you think my dad had a hand in attacking McKinnon's brother?" Rosier asked.

"Well, you never denied it," James said. "But then again, maybe you're proud to have a bastard father."

Rosier lashed a hex at James, knocking him off of his feet. His hands flew to his face as he yelled out in pain. A flurry of hexes and spells followed. Sirius shot a Body-Bind Curse at Rosier. His arms snapped to his side and he fell back. Wilkes sent Remus flying into the lake. Peter tried to hex Avery, but Avery disarmed him before he got a sound out of his mouth. Peter stood there for a moment, then ran forward and tackled Avery down. When Avery punched him in the face, James stood up, his nose bleeding, and hurled a knee-reversing hex at Avery. Regulus stood there, unsure about what to do, but Severus and Sirius were dueling, the hexes and curses they were hurling hitting and missing, different results out of each of them. Remus came out of the lake, his robes soaking wet.

Mary was about to join the fight, but Lily grabbed her arm. "Mary, don't be stupid," she said.

"Stupid?" Mary repeated. "They're outnumbered!"

Lily looked at the mass of confusion. "Okay, cut it out," she said, but none of them heard her. Remus disarmed Wilkes, panting.

"Give me back my wand," Wilkes said. Without warning, he punched Remus across the face. Lily gasped, grabbing Mary's arm instinctively. Remus punched Avery back, and then the two of them were fist-fighting. Remus pushed Avery back into the tree under which the boys had been sitting and punched him in the stomach.

"All right, stop it!" Lily yelled.

She then noticed that Rosier had gotten out of his Body-Bind Curse somehow, and he and Avery were fighting with James.

Melissa Warbeck ran over to them, and she stared at the situation. "What's going on?" she said shrilly.

"Impedimenta!" Lily said, pointing her wand at Avery. James performed the same spell on Rosier.

"Are you crazy?" Melissa yelled. She separated Sirius and Severus with a Shield Charm. She turned to Avery and Wilkes, who were still moving too slow to do anything. "Lily, will you please take them to McGonagall's office? I'm calling Slughorn here right away."

Lily nodded, picking up her bookbag. "Let's go," she told the four boys.

It was the most fierce she had ever seen Melissa. Melissa tied each Slytherin with ropes, sitting them down underneath the tree. "He didn't really do anything," Sirius called to her when she was charming Regulus.

Melissa ignored him. "Don't try to get away," she told the Slytherins.

The six Gryffindors walked towards the castle. "We are in deep dung," Sirius said.

Remus and James were sporting bloody noses, Peter's left eye was bruising, and Sirius was clutching to his side. Panting, he stopped near the Great Hall. "I think your boyfriend broke my ribs," he groaned.

"He's not my boyfriend," Lily snapped. She paused, looking at the four of them. "Let's go to the infirmary."

As they went up the steps to the first floor, Lily shook her head. "You're all idiots," she said. "You could be expelled, you know."

"They attacked us!" James said. "You saw it!"

"They attacked you, and all four of you attacked back!" Lily exclaimed.

"We were trying to stop it," Remus said.

"Especially Sirius," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Have you ever dueled with a Slytherin?" Sirius asked. "If you don't defend yourself, they'll kill you!"

Lily ignored him as they walked into the infirmary. Fortunately, Professor McGonagall was already in there speaking with Madam Pompfrey. The two of them turned. "What's going on?" McGonagall asked.

Lily sighed, motioning to the four Gryffindor boys behind her. Sirius had already helped himself to a bed, crouching in pain. "What happened?" Pompfrey asked.

"Snape hexed me with something," Sirius said.

"All four of you?" McGonagall asked, raising her eyebrows.

"No, that would be Rosier, Avery, and Wilkes," James said.

"Not my brother," Sirius said.

McGonagall stared at them in disbelief. She looked at Lily. "Evans, what happened?" she asked.

"We were talking about Marlene's brother," Lily began to explain. "Rosier hexed James first and . . . well . . ."

"All eight of you were dueling?" McGonagall asked.

"Out by the lake," Lily said. She leapt to defend them. "They tried to stop it - Remus disarmed Wilkes, but Wilkes punched him."

Sirius let out a yell of pain as Madam Pompfrey examined his ribs. "Melissa's down with the Slytherins," Lily said.

McGonagall's eyes widened. "Melissa Warbeck?" she asked.

"She tied them all up," Mary said.

McGonagall put her hands on her temple. "This is horrible for my nerves," she said. "I'm going to find Professor Slughorn." She looked at the four boys with a dark look on her face. "You better hope the damage is not much, or this day could be your last on Hogwarts property."

She swept out of the hospital wing, muttering to herself. Lily turned around. "Episkey," she said, waving her wand at James.

"Thanks," James said, touching his nose gingerly.

Lily performed the same spell on Remus. She looked at him for a moment, still shocked after seeing him fight so violently with Wilkes. "Thanks," he said quietly.

Lily also healed Peter's black eye. She sat down on the bed next to Remus. She sighed. "You four better not get expelled," she said.

"Evans, I'm touched," Sirius said in a constricted voice. "You want us to stay?"

"No, just Remus," Lily said. She gave him a small smile. She could tell this was going to be a long afternoon.

--

All eight of the boys received two weeks of detention, and Regulus, Mary, and Lily also received a detention for not interfering. They also had to sit through a long lecture from Professor McGonagall and much head-shaking from Professor Slughorn.

"I do not care about your varying differences!" McGonagall yelled after James tried to interrupt her. "This is a school, not a battleground. You are here to get an education, not to fight about things about the adult world -"

"The adult world?" Sirius said angrily.

"What about Marlene?" James asked. "She has to deal with the adult world -"

"We all do," Remus said.

"Yes, I know," McGonagall said tensely. "I'm not saying you don't. I'm not saying you have to agree with each other or like each other, either, but dueling is not permitted on school grounds - especially when there are guests on grounds! You are representing the Hogwarts student body! Eight boys dueling and three bystanders doing nothing is not the impression we want to make on these people."

"So, you're saying to just let Potter talk about my dad?" Rosier asked.

"If it means you won't be dueling, yes," McGonagall said. "You can duel as much as you like off of school grounds, although I don't recommend it, but while you are students at this school under our supervision, then don't do it. And all eight of you have history - by gods, if anything like this happens again, I'm sure you'll be expelled! Professor Dumbledore likes all of you, but he cannot have this sort of behavior at Hogwarts!"

It went on for a little while longer, but McGonagall finally ended it. "I will be sending letters to your parents," McGonagall said. She looked at Lily, Mary, and Regulus. "Including yours."

"What are you going to say?" Lily asked.

"That students were in danger and you failed to intervene or get a teacher," McGonagall said.

McGonagall looked at Sirius. "I'll send your letter with James's," she said.

Lily thought of Severus's parents, wondering if they'd care, or if he'd get beaten for it when he went home that summer.

The Slytherins left the hospital wing, angry and still looking for a fight. Sirius would be in the infirmary for a few days. "I can make up my exams, right?" he asked McGonagall.

"That's the first time I've seen you show some real interest in school for quite some time," McGonagall said. "I'm sure you'll be able to take them."

Lily and Mary left the infirmary. Mary smirked. "Glad I didn't join in," she said.

--

Again, thanks for the reviews! =]

Up next.... the last chapter of our crew's sixth year! Marlene returns to school, James and Lily have their first friendly conversation in quite a while, we check back up on Frank & Alice, and everyone says goodbye on Platform 9 3/4.


	16. All Good Things

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary: **The end of sixth year!

**--  
**

Marlene walked through the corridors. She had missed her whole week of OWLs, spending her time instead at St. Mungo's at her brother's bedside and with her family. She didn't know which one she would have rather been doing; exam after exam or worrying about her brother's health. Doug had broken multiple bones in his back and had nasty curses sent on him, so he was in intensive recovery.

As she passed students, faces followed her and people whispered to each other. She wondered if they thought she didn't notice. A few students said hi to her. "All right, Marlene?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Marlene said, giving her a smile.

Marlene made her way up to the seventh floor. She was tired, but not so much physically as emotionally. She had stayed with Doug's wife and his two-year-old son. Doug's wife had worried and cried and worried some more, and she reconsidered ever marrying him, and all this talk messed with Marlene's head.

She approached the portrait of The Fat Lady, and hoped the password was the same. "House-elves?" Marlene said hopefully.

The Fat Lady shook her head. "I'm sorry, dear," she said.

Marlene sighed, glancing around. Might as well wait. She sat across from the portrait. Professor McGonagall could have told her; she had met her at the gate, and she was talking to her mum. Oh, well. Sometime you got locked out of the common room. It was life. And sometimes your brother got attacked by batshit crazy Death Eaters.

About ten minutes later, James and Sirius came up the steps, singing the Hogwarts song in loud voices. "Marly!" James exclaimed.

"Our sister's back!" Sirius said.

"How's your brother?" James asked.

"He's going to be fine," Marlene replied, standing up. She wondered how many times she'd have to answer that question. "He's just got some back damage. He'll be out of St. Mungo's within a week."

"Hey, you want some pie?" Sirius asked.

Marlene smiled. "You got it on you?" she asked.

"To the kitchens!" James exclaimed.

James and Sirius started leading her back down seven floors. Despite the fact that she had just walked up all of them, Marlene went with them. It was nice to be back at Hogwarts and with people her own age. "How was exams week?" Marlene asked.

"Interesting," Sirius said. "I just got out of the hospital wing today. Snape broke half my ribs."

"Shut up," Marlene said, her eyes widening. What had she missed?

"There were eight of us fighting," James explained. "The four of us, Avery, Snape, Rosier, and Wilkes."

"You're kidding!" Marlene exclaimed.

"No way," Sirius said. "We have detentions until the end of the year."

"So, who won?" Marlene asked.

"Us, of course!" Sirius said, skipping the trick step. He ran down the steps three at a time, calling out, "Because Gryffindors are better!"

Smirking, James shrugged. "Remus got Wilkes pretty good," he said.

"We're talking about the same Remus, right?" Marlene said.

"Oh, yeah," James said, nodding. "Let's see...Lily and I Impedimenta'd Avery and Rosier. Sirius got Rosier with a Body-Bind, too."

"Lily?" Marlene repeated. "Wait, are you guys lying?"

Once on the ground floor, after a colorful conversation about the fight, they walked into a door by the main staircase. There was a portrait of a fruit basket. James tickled the pear. Marlene wasn't sure she heard or saw right, but it giggled and then turned into a door handle.

"And here we are," James said, leading them into the kitchens.

There was an enormous room much like the Great Hall on the other side of the portrait. There was dozens of house-elves cooking dinner. A handful of them rushed over to them. "Mister Potter! Mister Black!" he squeaked. "It is so good to see you!"

"Thank you, Snuffles," Sirius said. "This is our friend Marlene McKinnon. She would like some pie."

"What kind?" Snuffles asked Marlene with bright eyes.

"What kind do you have?" Marlene asked.

"We can make anything for you!" Snuffles exclaimed. "Apple, cherry, pumpkin, raspberry -"

Before he could go on, Marlene said, "How about some apple, then?"

"Apple pie it is!" Snuffles said. "Please sit, kind sirs and friend Marlene McKinnon."

The three of them sat down on the edge of one of the tables. Marlene stared around at their surroundings. There was a large fireplace on the other side of the room, and pots and pans covering the walls. "So, this is your secret," she said.

"Don't tell anyone," Sirius warned her.

"It's safe with me," Marlene said. "I can't believe they know you by name."

"Oh, of course," James said with a shrug. "We've been coming in here since...third year."

"Oh, my gosh!" Marlene exclaimed.

Within moments, they were eating apple pie, even though dinner smelled delicious. "Thanks," Marlene said.

"No problem," James said. "I was needing some pie myself. Exams suck."

Marlene nodded. "This week sucked," she said.

"But he's going to be okay, right?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah," Marlene said, "but what about next time? What about my other brother and my dad?"

There was a moment of silence. Marlene had spent so much time this week thinking about this, and she wanted it all to be over. She wanted the war to end so she wouldn't be afraid for her family. She knew others sympathized with her, and yet their fear overruled their desire for justice. They were sacred into submission, complacency. That wasn't going to be her. She would fight.

"Did they find out who attacked him?" James asked.

"Who cares?" Marlene said. "It happened."

James paused. "What do you mean who cares?" he asked.

"They're all following You-Know-Who," Marlene said. "If they hadn't have done it, someone else would have. What You-Know-Who wants to happen will happen. He has enough followers."

They were silent again, and Marlene took a bite of her apple pie. "It's going to end," she said. "Someday. . .this war will end."

--

James flicked his wand. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he said. The map - their masterpiece that had taken so much time and work - began to appear, ink lines coming together to form the halls and secrets of Hogwarts. Dots were moving around. Students were scattered around the grounds, many were outside, enjoying the return of the sunny weather. Mostly everyone was lazy, tomorrow the last day of classes.

He scanned the map and found the name he was looking for. The library. Of course.

He started walking towards the fourth floor. He was looking forward to another summer, but at the same time, he knew they would be leaving the safety of Hogwarts. There was a world out there that was in war; while they were in Hogwarts, they were effected, but not to a great extent.

James entered the library and roamed the empty rows. He found Lily at a table by a Charms section. "Hey," he said, sliding into the seat next to her.

"Hi," Lily said, giving him a small smile.

"Tomorrow's the last day of classes, you know," James replied.

"Really?" Lily said. "I had no idea."

James smiled. "Why are you in the library?" he asked.

"Charms," Lily said shortly.

"Tomorrow we're just having a party," James said.

Lily just looked at him, and he knew she had no intention of giving him an answer. "I just wanted to say thanks for sticking up for us the other day," James said. She had been on their side in front of McGonagall. "It didn't make it any better, but I think it means that you're starting to like us."

"It was just for Remus," Lily said coolly.

James rolled his eyes. "You were too shocked about him going postal on Wilkes," he said.

Lily gave him an indignant look, but James knew he was right. He was always right. "People don't think Remus can fight," James said with a shrug. "He doesn't like to, no, but everyone's good at something they don't want to be good at. He could tear me apart."

Lily paused, looking thoughtful. "But he'd never fight you," she said.

"Hopefully not," James said with a shake of his head. "Anyways, I appreciate it."

"How's Sirius?" Lily asked.

"Good," James said. "I'm pretty sure he passed all of his exams."

"He's pretty smart," Lily said fairly.

"That's what I told him," James replied.

This year had been an emotional roller coaster with Lily Evans. They had yelled at each other and ignored each other. They had kissed and hugged. She had hexed him, and he had slipped ice cubes down her shirt. They had seen each others underpants, they had laughed, and they had enjoyed each other's company. Somewhere down the road, they came to the point of being something close to friends, but not quite. It wasn't anything close to where James wished they were, but it was much better than where they had been at the beginning of the year.

"I still think you're an idiot for fighting with them," Lily said. "You're really the one who started it all."

James shrugged. "I don't like his dad," he said. "It's not my fault he had a problem with it."

Lily shook her head. "You're unbelievable," she said.

"What?" James said defensively. "Their family is. . .disgusting."

Lily looked away from him, continuing to shake her head. She looked thoughtful.

"What?" James said. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing," Lily said. "I just. . .I just wonder what it's going to be like once we're out of school."

James nodded understandingly. "Me, too," he said. Would he and Sirius get enough NEWTs to become Aurors? Would they pass Auror training? How long would they survive? Who would become Death Eaters? Who would fight for good?

"I just have a feeling," Lily said, "that the next time you do something stupid like that, you might not get out alive."

James met her eyes, smirking. "Is that a note of concern I hear in your voice?" he asked. He batted his eyelashes. "Doth my ears deceive me?"

Rolling her eyes, Lily said, "Do you mind? I have things to do."

"That's it!" James pumped his fist in the air. "You didn't deny it. I exposed your weakness. You are succumbing to my charms."

"Sod off, James," Lily said.

"You see?" James stood up. "We're on a first-name basis. The world has never been more beautiful."

Lily let out a small laugh. "Keep walking," she said.

James walked backwards, winking at her. "Hey, owl me if you need anything this summer," he said. "I'd love to help you rub sunscreen on -" he ran into something solid. Turning around, he realized he had walked into Madam Pompfrey. "Sorry, Poppy."

--

"Are you scared?" Alice asked.

"A little bit," Frank replied.

The summer sun shone down on them. The puffy white clouds moved lazily across the clear blue sky. The air was full of laughter and voices. Today, the last day of classes, marked the end of the year, and the beginning of summer. Alice lay next to Frank on the grass by the lake, the two of them gazing up at the sky. She remembered their first kiss last summer; they had been in her backyard, stargazing, and he had kissed her unexpectedly.

Alice turned on her side and set her head on his shoulder. "Be careful," she said.

"Don't worry," Frank said gently.

The last six months had been crazy. She had spent her time keeping up with school while trying to juggle her emotions about the attack on her family that had taken two lives. Frank had been there for her the entire way through. She had cried in front of him more than her friends. He went out of his way to talk to her. They had both had lots of homework, but they had spent a lot of time together. She had never felt ready to be more than friends, although of course they were, but now, as she realized that he was leaving Hogwarts to go into Auror training, she didn't want to wait anymore.

She propped herself up on her elbow. "Frank," she said softly.

"Yeah?" Frank met her eyes.

"I'm not scared anymore," she said.

Somehow, he knew what she was talking about. She bent down, closing her eyes. Their lips met, and she didn't care anymore. She was ready to give him all of her, to trust him, to be there for him as he had been there for her. He reached up, touching the side of her face. She deepened the kiss, and even though people could see them, she didn't care. Let the rumors fly. Let Mary give her dirty looks. She loved Frank Longbottom.

--

Lily knew she has a difficult summer ahead of her. She was going to be working at St. Mungo's as an aid twenty hours a week. Professor McGonagall had worked it out for her; Lily would be ever grateful. She also knew that switching from home to work would be difficult. Her older sister had always been a pain, and she was practically engaged now. Lily was sure that once they decided to get married, she would be left out of the wedding plans completely. Their relationship had only worsened over the years. And as the war had as well, she didn't know how much she wanted to explain to her parents.

The students started boarding off of the Hogwarts Express. Parents greeted their children, their faces bright. Aurors lingered around, trying to look conspicuous. Lily saw the famous Mad-Eye Moody and let her eyes linger on him for a moment. He had a variety of scars on his face and one blue eye, which spun around, watching the happenings of the platform. With this eye he looked at Lily. She gave him a nod, then looked away, blushing a little bit.

Lily started saying goodbye to her friends. Mary's dad was attracting a small crowd. Mary rolled her eyes before pulling Lily into a hug. "Have fun at St. Mungo's," she said.

"Thanks," Lily said. "We should do something."

"Yeah!" Mary exclaimed. "Maybe I could get us tickets to a game or something."

"Cool!" Lily said. "Write me."

"I will," Mary promised. She pushed her cart over to her parents. Her and her mum pulled her dad out of the crowd of admiring fans.

Lily said goodbye to Candace and Debra, giving them hugs. Marlene pulled Lily over to her parents. Her dad was a large fellow with wispy hair. Marlene looked more like her mum, their light brown hair wavy and long, and the same smile.

"This is my dad Chris and this is my mum Abigail," Marlene said. "Mum, dad, this is my friend Lily."

"Nice to meet you," Chris said, shaking her hand.

"I can't believe we haven't met before," Abigail said brightly. "Marlene talks about you so much."

Marlene grinned at Lily. "What can I say?" she said.

"It's great to meet you," Lily said. "I've heard a lot of great things about you."

Marlene hugged Lily goodbye, the two of them promising to make plans that summer.

Everyone was saying goodbye to Frank, wishing him luck in Auror training. Lily gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for everything, Frank," she said. Even after her messy relationship with Paul, the two of them had remained friends. "Write me and let me know how everything's going."

"You, too, Miss Healer," Frank said.

Luckily for Mary, she wasn't around to see Alice and Frank kissing like no one else was around. Sirius and James made catcalls, and Frank's parents walked over while they pulled away. "Hello, Alice," his mother said, her smile bright. "I'm glad to see the two of you are getting along."

"That's an interesting way to put it," James said quietly to Lily.

Frank left with his parents while people waved goodbye. "He should have been Head Boy," Sirius said, shaking his head ruefully.

Bertram and Melissa had left already. Lily couldn't believe it was Melissa's last year. Even though they had only become friends this last year, Lily was sad to see her go. Bertram had given an hour-long speech at the last prefect meeting about how it had been his best year at Hogwarts. When he left the platform, James and Sirius had cheered.

The platform cleared quickly, and Lily waited patiently for her parents. It was around eleven thirty as she sat up against the wall, glancing around. James and Sirius were still there. After Mad-Eye Moody left, they made they way over to her, pushing their carts. Lily's owl Oscar hooted at the sight of new people.

"Your parents forget you?" Sirius asked.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Close enough," she said. They were busy, but Lily was used to it.

James sat on his trunk. "You know I don't really know anything about your parents," he said matter-of-factly.

"Let's keep it that way," Lily said.

"If we're going to get married, I'll become their son-in-law," James said. This made Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

Lily gave him a look that said, In your dreams. James shrugged. "I just thought I might get an early start," he said.

"Honestly," Sirius said, "do you ever think you try too hard?"

James made a face at him. He looked at Lily, a smile on his face. "It's all in good fun," he said. "I mean, nothing would make me happier, but I know it probably won't happen."

Lily shook her head. "At least if everyone else rejects me, I know I'll have someone," she said.

"You'll always have two someones," Sirius said.

Lily and James looked at him with wide eyes. Lily didn't really think she could handle two Marauders after her. Especially if it meant they would fight even more.

"James and Snivellus," Sirius said.

Lily kicked him in the thigh, nearly pushing him off of his trunk. "Ow!" Sirius said, rubbing his leg. "It's true!"

"If Snape and I were the only males left, who would you choose to repopulate the earth?" James asked.

Putting her head in her hands, Lily wondered why, as she had many times before, James had chosen her to torture.

"She could have both of you," Sirius said.

"That's disgusting," Lily said, vocalizing the look on James's face. She knew who she would choose, but she wasn't about to say. "Don't ever say something like that again."

Sirius smirked. "So, what are you doing this summer, Red?" he asked.

"I'm working at St. Mungo's, actually," Lily said. "Twenty hours a week."

"Cool," James said. "I reckon Sirius and I will do...pretty much nothing. Sleep, Apparate around, party a little bit. Hey, we should do something."

"Hmm, sleeping, Apparating, and partying sounds exciting," Lily said dryly.

"Especially the partying part," Sirius said.

"Seriously," James said. "We live right by Jewel and Juniper, so we could all hang out."

Lily just nodded. "We'll see," she said. She didn't really think that hanging out with Sirius and James outside of school would be something she would do, but who knew? She never thought she'd be sitting here talking to them casually.

"Lily!"

Lily looked up and saw her parents approaching them. She smiled, standing up. "Hi, guys!" she said. She walked over and gave both of them hugs.

"How's my girl?" her dad asked, ruffling up her hair.

"I'm good!" Lily exclaimed. "Ready to go home."

James and Sirius had stood up and were leaning on their carts casually. "Oh," Lily said. Her mum's green eyes sparkling, she led them over to the two boys. "Mum, dad, this is James and Sirius. Guys, these are my parents."

"Nice to meet you," Rose said warmly, shaking their hands.

"We've heard a lot about you," Edward said.

"Oh, really?" Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"Only good things, right?" James asked.

Everyone laughed a little bit, knowing what was really said about James at the Potter house. "Of course," Rose said lightly.

"You ready?" Edward asked. "Maybe we can go out to eat."

"I want to meet your sister," James said.

Lily smirked at him, thinking of all the things she could say. No, you don't. She doesn't want to meet you. "Well, maybe next year," she said. She started to push her cart, but her dad took it for her. "I'll see you guys in September."

"Have a good summer," James said, waving as they walked off.

Lily and her parents walked through the barrier that brought them back into the Muggle world.

--

A/N: Sorry this took forever to get up! But alas, sixth year is over. We've still got loads of fun ahead - the summer, seventh year, and beyond! I can't decide whether to start a new story or just continue it with this one. Decisions, decisions...please review!


	17. Sunny Days

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **We check in on our friends for the summer - James and Sirius hanging out at the river, Remus vacationing in Greece, Lily and her friends going to Quidditch games. Then their peaceful summer is disrupted by Voldemort and his stupid plans.

--

"This is great," James said. They were one week into summer holidays, and Sirius and James were at the river. The sun was baking down on the two of them as they slept in the sun on the rocks.

"Hell yeah," Sirius mumbled next to him.

The river's current and the shade of the oak tree next to them made the perfect nap setting. They had been here for hours, since at least ten that morning. Despite their teenager tendencies to sleep as much as possible, James's mother had forced them out of bed. They had lounged around the house, bored out of their minds, then James had gotten the brilliant idea to go to the river. It was now almost two o'clock. The only way the day could get better was if Remus and Peter joined them. And maybe Lily Evans, too, in a cute little bathing suit . . .

"Prongs – Prongs, wake up," someone was shaking James and talking in his ear.

James woke up, nearly falling off of his rock. "What, Sirius?" he asked. "What time is it?"

"Nearly three," Sirius said. "Come on, I'm famished. Let's get home."

"I was sleeping – you woke me up because you're hungry?" James asked. His stomach growled. Sirius kicked him in the shin. "Ow!" James made at face at him, then got to his feet. He groaned in pain. "Oi – oh, hell." He looked down at his chest and shoulders. His shoulders were burnt to a bright pink, and part of his chest was burnt at well.

Sirius laughed. James looked at him. Sirius had pink cheeks and the back of his neck was fairly pink as well. "You burned, too," he said.

"It's bloody hot," Sirius said, shrugging. He threw James's clothes at him. "Come on, maybe your mum made chicken sandwiches."

James had trouble walking very quickly, so Sirius complained most of the way. "You're such a whiner, you know that?" James asked, rolling his eyes. "I'm in pain – you could try to cast a burn-relief spell on it or something, but not, you just complain."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Race you there," he yelled.

"Hey, that's not fair!" James called after him, trying to jog a bit.

"Oh, boys, could you put on some clothes?" Mrs. Potter asked, walking into the kitchen that James and Sirius were extensively searching for food.

"Mum, didn't you make any food for lunch?" James asked. He was on the counter, looking in the cupboard above the refrigerator.

"James Thomas Potter, how many times have I told you not to get on the counter?" Mrs. Potter asked. "We're all civilized human beings here, use a chair!" She tugged on his shorts.

"Mum!" James said, pulling them back up to his waist.

"Ouch, that sunburn looks pretty bad," Mrs. Potter observed. "Get down from there, I can put some lotion on it."

James jumped off of the counter and Mrs. Potter put some of Madam Teresa's sunburn lotion. James laid over the kitchen table in misery. "It'll stop in a few minutes," she said.

He groaned. "It's been at least five, and it still hurts."

"Are you going to eat that?" Sirius asked, motioning to James's chicken sandwich.

"Yes," James said, glaring at him across the table.

--

Remus loved Greece. His mum had family here, so they visited as often as they could. It was hot in the summer, so hot that Remus was forced to wear shorts and sandals, and his mum would wear her hair up, and his dad would get sunburnt. But it was beautiful.

His uncle had a house on the beach. The crystal blue water constantly moved, and one got used to the ebb and flow of the waves, especially at night when trying to fall asleep. His dad and him had gone along with his uncle on a fishing trip. By the end of it, Remus's hands, clothes, and hair smelled like fish.

His dad insisted on taking pictures when they went anywhere, but he had trouble with the Muggle camera his wife had had for so long. "John, how many times have I taught you how to use it?" Nancy asked. She dropped her voice. "All that's different is the purple puff of smoke."

Remus's dad put his hands on his hips. "That's not true!" he exclaimed. "You have to zoom and everything."

"Ah, you remembered what it was called!" his mum said excitedly.

They went out to a nice Greece restaurant one night, and Remus had overeaten on lamb. He had spent the rest of the night sitting around while his parents and relatives danced. The next night, the adults had insisted he went out with his cousin. Remus's cousin Stephen was a bit like Sirius, so Remus didn't mind all that much. Stephen took them to a bar and introduced Remus to a group of his friends. Remus did what he could to have fun, drinking in moderation and dancing with a cute girl only after Stephen nagged him for half an hour. He started talking to another girl about Muggle music, though, and he found out she was into football. He reminded her of Marlene, and Remus was surprised to realize that he wished Marlene was there. She had always been easy to hang out with, like Lily.

A few days later, after swimming and getting horribly sun burnt, Remus had to explain to his relatives why an exhausted owl flew in during dinner and collapsed on his dinner plate. He pulled the owl into his room after a feeble attempt, and read the letter from Sirius and James.

_MOONY!_

_I have no idea where you are. Greece, was it? I hope you're having a grand time. Don't impregenate (did I spell that right?) any girls while you're there. Are you coming over for summer hols? I know how much fun you had during Christmas. I think Peter's coming over for his birthday. You think we should hire a stripper? Haha, poor Wormtail would piss his pants!_

The handwriting switched now from James's scrawl to Sirius's slightly more readable handwriting.

_HEY. GUESS WHAT I GOT? A MOTORBIKE. Yeah, that's right. It's hideously ugly. All I need, though, are some rebuffing spells (don't you love that we can do magic now??) and leather. I'm going to charm it to fly. You will adore it. It will adore you._

The handwriting now switched back.

_All right, tell mum and dad we said hi! My mum does, of course. Tell me when you're coming over!_

_James and Sirius_

Remus shook his head, smiling. He had left the owl with some water and gave him some lamb from his dinner, then watched James's owl fly out of his window after writing a response.

He walked back out to the dining area. "That was the oddest thing, wasn't it?" he said lightly.

--

The Holyhead Harpies were winning against Ballycastle Bats, 60-20. The Quidditch stands were full of green and black, indicating opposing fans. It was the beginning of July, and Mary had gotten tickets from her dad. In the box, she stood by Lily and Marlene, watching the brooms whiz by. Hogwarts games were fun, of course, but professional beat them any day. And she didn't have to yell the entire time.

"Man, they must hate losing against girls," Mary said.

"Marlene, you should join the Harpies!" Lily exclaimed.

Marlene let out a laugh. "Yeah, right," she said.

"She's becoming an Auror!" Mary said as though this were obvious.

"I know," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "She'd be great at it, though."

Marlene gave her a grateful smile. The three of them had met at Mary's house and gotten dolled up because her dad would take them to the victory party if the Harpies won. Mary turned back to look at the game, watching the Bats' Chasers pass the Quaffle back and forth. A Bludger whizzed past Cariba Rhodes, causing her to drop the Quaffle. She dove for it, but an opposing Chaser sped past her, grabbing the ball. The Bats fans cheered as the Chaser sped down the field towards the goalposts.

Mary looked at the Seekers; they were flying around, looking around for the Snitch. Suddenly, the Bats Seeker pointed his broom towards the ground and started speeding away. The Harpies Seeker caught on quickly and raced after him. "Look, they've seen the Snitch!" Mary exclaimed.

The attention of the crowds turned to the flight of the Seekers and the small golden ball trying to escape them. It slowly started to curve up. The Harpies Seeker turned her broom up, easing forward on her Nimbus 1000.

"Gods, I want a broom like that," Marlene said admiringly.

Someone shot a Bludger over at the two of them. It hit the Bats Seeker, knocking him into the blonde Seeker. The two of them went spiraling in the air, and the crowd gasped and groaned as the Snitch flew off again. There was a momentary time-out while the Bats Seeker got his arm repaired.

"That was close," Lily said. "Who hit that Bludger?"

"Probably the Bats," Mary said.

Thirty minutes later, the score was 70-40. "The Bats are catching up," the commentator said approvingly. "They have had a rough time with goals this season. . ."

He continued as the crowd watched the Harpies as they had possession of the Quaffle. "It looks like Ramsey has seen the Snitch!" the commentator yelled.

Heads turned; sure enough, the blonde Harpies Seeker was racing across the field. The Bats Seeker took off after her. One of the Beaters pelted a Bludger towards her, but a Harpies Beater hit the Bludger back at him. Ramsey pushed her Nimbus broom further forward as the opposing Seeker gained on her. There was a hint of gold in front of her. Ramsey extended her arm. For a moment, they were flying after the Snitch. Ramsey lurched forward. She nearly slipped off of her broom, but her hand closed tightly. . .was it just air? She stopped her broom and held her fist up triumphantly, and through her binoculars, Mary could see the Snitch's golden wings.

She let out a cheer, throwing her hands up. "Yes!" she said.

"The Holyhead Harpies have won the game!" the commentator yelled over the eruption of cheers.

Afterwards, Mary, Marlene, and Lily went to the victory party. The room was decorated with dark green ribbons, posters, and banners of the winning team. It was full of people celebrating. There was a table overflowing with drinks, and another with foods. "Thanks for inviting us, Mary," Lily said, raising her butterbeer.

"No problem," Mary said. She took a drink of her mead. "Hey, let's go see if we can meet the players."

The three girls met who they could, which ended up being the Seeker, Kaitlin Ramsey, and one of the Beaters, Janis Greenley. Kaitlin was shorter than all three of them and had a huge smile on her face. Mary had met Janis once before, and she remembered her green hair. "I think I remember you!" Janis said. "Your dad's Dent-head!"

"Yep," Mary said. Sometimes her dad's fame came in handy. "Nice game."

"Thanks," Janis said. She smiled at Lily and Marlene. "Hi, I'm Janis Greenley."

"Lily Evans," Lily said, shaking her hand.

"Marlene McKinnon," Marlene said.

"Is your dad Christopher McKinnon?" Janis asked.

"Yeah!" Marlene exclaimed.

"He is so cool," Janis said. "He helped us out last week. It was crazy, me and my friends were just hanging out at The Leaky Cauldron, right? Out of nowhere, this psycho comes in, and he's hexing people. It was obvious he wasn't very serious, but your dad had him Stunned before he could do much. It was wicked!"

"Thanks," Marlene said, grinning. "I think he told me about that."

Janis looked at Lily. "What's your claim to fame?" she asked.

Lily let out a small laugh. "I'm afraid I'm the most normal one here," she said.

"She's going to be a Healer," Mary announced. "The best bloody Healer in the wizarding world."

Janis grinned. "You out of Hogwarts?" she asked.

"We're going into our seventh year," Mary said. She motioned to Marlene. "She's an ickle sixth

year."

"And let me guess, Gryffindors?" Janis asked.

Mary cheered, throwing her fist in the air. "The best there is!" she exclaimed.

The party progressed. They saw Paul Brendell and Katie Stockton. Marlene pointed them out sitting in the corner alone. "Oh gods," Mary said, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe they're still together!"

"No kidding," Lily said.

"Remember Sirius's birthday party?" Marlene asked Mary.

"You mean when James molested me?" Mary asked.

"No, when Sirius was giving Katie a striptease," Marlene replied.

"Oh, gods," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "I'm having a good time, do we have to ruin it?"

When they went to Mary's house two hours later, Mary was tipsy from too much bead, and all three of them were exhausted from dancing. "My feet are killing me," Lily said, collapsing on Mary's bed.

"I love the summer!" Marlene said, yawning.

--

There was a faint ringing sound. Lily moaned, turning over in her bed. She rubbed her eyes. Who was calling in the middle of the night? She looked at her clock. It was nearly seven in the morning. Okay, maybe not the middle of the night. . .but early enough. . .

"Lily!" her mother came in. "Lily, someone's on the phone for you. Mungo – saint – I don't know, someone – she says it's an emergency."

"What?" Lily asked. She threw off her covers and walked into her parents' room, her mum behind her. "Hello?"

"Lily Evans?"

"Yes. . ." Lily trailed off. The voice sounded slightly familiar.

"Lily, this is Louise Montgomery," the voice on the other end said in an urgent tone. "There's been an attack in Liverpool – there are bodies everywhere, countless injuries, the Ministry is taking them all in this morning. We – could you come to St. Mungo's? Oh, gods, we could use your help."

"Oh, my gosh," Lily said, gasping. She brought her hand to her mouth, breathing hard.

"What is it, honey?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"Lily, can you come?" Louise asked. "Oh, please, they say there could be hundreds, Muggles and wizards alike –"

"Yes, yes, I'll be there," Lily said. "I'll come as soon as I can."

"Thank you, oh, my gosh," Louise said, her breath raspy. "I'll see you soon."

Lily hung up, various thoughts flying through her mind. "Who was it, Lily?" Mrs. Evans questioned, looking worried.

"St. Mungo's," Lily said. "There's been an attack in Liverpool – can I go to London, mum?"

"London?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"I need to go to St. Mungo's, the hospital I work at," Lily said. She started walking back to her room.

"It's Saturday!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed, following her. Lily started searching her wardrobe for shoes and a jumper. "You don't have to work today."

"There's been an attack –" Lily said.

"What do you mean an attack?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"I mean," Lily said, her hands shaking as she put on her shoes, "I mean, people are dead and people are dying and I have to help them." She grabbed her wand and a jumper.

"Lily Aegina Evans, you are not going anywhere without discussing this with me and your father!" Mrs. Evans said loudly. She followed Lily out of the room and down the steps. She grabbed Lily's arm. "Don't ignore me! As long as you live in this house –"

"I'm of age, mum!" Lily said, snatching her hand away from her mother.

"You're only seventeen!" Mrs. Evans said.

"I'm of age, mum," Lily repeated. "I'm a witch. They need my help at the hospital; I have to go. I will be fine. I'm not going to fight anything - I'll phone you."

"Lily," Mrs. Evans said, sounding hysterical.

Lily walked unto the back porch and closed her eyes, thinking of the deserted alley she had Apparated to before to get to St. Mungo's. Her father came out of the kitchen with his coffee mug.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm going to work," Lily said.

"Why –" her father began.

"I love you guys," Lily said. She Apparated with a pop! to London.

She jogged down the empty streets in her pajama shorts and favorite jumper to Purge and Dowse, Ltd. She talked to the dummy and walked through the window, as she had been doing for three weeks this holiday.

"Lily!" Louise Montgomery yelled. She was the Head Healer of St. Mungo's, and Lily had only talked to her a few times before. She had jumped from department to department during the last few weeks, trying to get a rounded experience of the hospital. "Thank goodness. All right, they're going to be here soon – Alastor Moody says there are at least forty. They're bringing in mediwizards, but the job is only so popular these days. The floors will be the measure of the seriousness of the injury. That section over there is the most serious up to fifth; normal, trivial injuries."

"How do you determine –"

"I need you to tell people which floor to go to," Louise said. "For now, at least. I don't know what we're expecting. Moody said there are all sorts of things – post-Cruciatus symptoms, arrows, burns, snake bites, werewolf bites, vampire bites, witches and wizards stuck in between banshee-induced death and consciousness, petrification, lots of blood – I don't know. If more people don't show up, I'll need you with the rest of the Healers and mediwizards doing magic. Are you going to be all right, Evans?"

Lily just nodded, swallowing. "Yeah," she said. "First to fourth floor, I can do that."

"Fifth. My daughter Kathy will be helping," Louise said. Kathy walked in from the bathroom. "Kathy, this is Lily."

"Hi," Lily said. She wouldn't mind paying a visit to the bathroom, and bending over a toilet . . .

"All mind-related symptoms send to that section over there," Louise said, motioning to two gray-haired witches. "Memory Charmed, delirium, shock, anything in the mind."

Just then, Ministry officials and uninjured witches and wizards started pouring in with various injured people; Muggles, witches, wizards, young, old, male, female.

--

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews! You guys rock. I've decided to leave the summer between sixth and seventh year in this story. When I start a new one for the seventh year, I'll be sure to let you guys know! Enjoy, R&R! :)


	18. Aftermath

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **The aftermath of the attack on Liverpool. Lily, Sirius, and James help out at St. Mungo's and visit Liverpool.

--

Lily got right to work. A small boy with a burn, second floor. A delirious witch, to the gray-haired witches. A gruesome werewolf bite, over to Louise. As Louise had predicted, there was a variety of injuries. More people than Lily had expected had blood involved in their injuries.

Cries, yells and voices drilled into Lily's head. Eventually, the mind-related symptoms moved to the basement. Lily's heart was pounding, but she carried through – one wizard was missing half an arm, his shirt covered with blood and his bone visible. Kathy was throwing up behind her. The Ministry officials were trying to keep the injured in line under control.

"Go up to the fifth floor, honey," Lily told a girl with a few broken fingers. The girl looked familiar, and looked old enough to go to Hogwarts.

Another girl followed, green in the face from a snake bite. "Can you hear me?" Lily asked, bending down.

The girl nodded, her eyes focusing and defocusing. "Look me in the eyes," Lily said gently.

The girl swayed. Lily reached out to steady her. There was a man standing nearby. "Hey, please, take her to the first floor, please," she said.

"Hey, girl, I'm doing my job," he said.

"Please," Lily said. "She's not well, she needs to get treated."

"I was told to stay here and make sure the line moved along," the man said.

"I –"

"Evans! Hey, Evans!"

Lily looked up, her brows furrowing. Was that Potter? He didn't live in Liverpool, did he? She felt fear stab her heart, but James and Sirius were trying to get through the line of people and looked perfectly all right.

"We're just here to help," James said defensively to a Ministry official. "She asked us to come help!" He pointed at Lily.

"I did!" Lily exclaimed.

James and Sirius reached the end of the line, and she had never felt happier to see them. "You need help?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," Lily said in a relieved tone. "Can you make sure this girl gets to the first floor? I think she might pass out."

"All right," Sirius said. He put his hand on the girl's shoulder.

"What should I do?" James asked.

"Make sure Kathy's all right," Lily said, motioning to behind her. Two men held a stretcher with a girl who was still. "Is she petrified?" The men nodded. Lily motioned to other petrified people.

"Kathy's gone," James said.

Lily looked over her shoulder, then shook her head. The next people in line were in their year – a Hufflepuff, Nancy Appleby was being carried by her friend, Ryan Chilton. "Ryan," James said in a surprised voice.

Nancy's shirt was dark crimson. "Over there," Lily said, motioning to Louise.

"This floor is urgent injuries," Lily explained. "Like if they're not treated within the next forty minutes, they'll be past saving. The basement is mind-related, like delirious, memory charmed, you know. First is urgent, but not as urgent – up to fifth – hi, hi, honey, why are you here?" She bent down to talk to a small girl who was crying.

"I'm looking for my mum," the girl said, sobbing. Lily heard James begin to direct people to their correct floors. Sirius returned and started helping.

"Who did you come here with?" Lily asked.

The girl paused, glancing around. "I . . . I'm not sure . . . a man who my mum said to stay with," she said.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Lily asked.

The girl shook her head.

"What's your name?"

"Elizabeth Jones."

"Come on, sit behind me, against the wall," Lily said. "We're going to find your mum."

"Lily! Lily, I need you right now!" Louise yelled over the loud noises.

"I'll be back," Lily told the girl. "I'll be back, James. Don't leave that girl alone." She fought through the people to Louise.

"Lily," Louise said. "I need you to stop any excessive bleeding – do you think you can do that?"

Lily nodded, taking out her wand. "I'll clean them out, and dress some of them, and you'll dress some of them," Louise said. "Okay? Okay, Lily? Say something."

"Okay," Lily said, staring at the injuries around her.

"Here," Louise said, walking to a witch with a head injury.

An hour later, Lily was sent to the first floor. She worked alongside mediwizards and witches and Healers, cleaning out bites, holding people down, running errands, comforting victims, keeping mediwizards in their senses. She ran around, all morning, and occasionally saw James and Sirius. They were outnumbered; it seemed like they only had one mediwitch or wizard or Healer to every six injuries. Finally, people came by with food, and Louise demanded Lily to take a break. Lily got a plate with a sandwich, her stomach grumbling.

"All right, Evans?"

Lily started, nearly dropping her plate. James, Sirius and the little girl stood there with their own sandwiches. "Careful, there," Sirius said. "You don't want to lose your lunch."

"You're still here?" Lily asked, sitting down on a bench.

"We've been helping out," James said.

"And looking for her mum," Sirius said, motioning to Elizabeth. The girl sat down next to Lily, half-smiling up at her.

"Ven vas the laff time you faw her?" Lily asked through a mouthful of food.

"I'm my house, before the fire," Elizabeth said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find her," Sirius told her. "Eat up."

"They say that there are at least a hundred here," James said. "And thirty that have already left."

"The Aurors have found thirty-four bodies," Sirius said.

"Eight have died here," James said.

"Stop," Lily said. "Elizabeth is right here."

"She can't just ignore it," Sirius said. He gave Elizabeth a soft smile. Lily knew it was true, but she was too young to be faced with death and murder, although the war had been going strong for six years now.

"Nancy died," James said quietly.

"What?" Lily gasped. She looked away, covering her mouth. This shouldn't have been happening. Nancy had been as old as them. It wasn't right. A few tears trickled down her cheeks. "Oh, my gosh. Who would do something like this?"

"You-Know-Who, of course," James said, his voice bitter.

"Well, yeah. . ." Lily trailed off. She couldn't put her horror into words.

Sirius tossed the paper at her. She bent down to pick it up. The Dark Mark was plastered on the front page, and there was a large article about the attack that had started at four in the morning. Lily read quietly, more thoughts flying through her head. She tried not to start crying, but tears streamed down her face. The three of them were mentioned. "Seventh years, Lily Evans, James Potter and Sirius Black were at the hospital, helping to keep the situation under control, sending the injured to appropriate floors. Evans did further work – she has been working at the hospital for a few weeks, and helped alongside mediwizards and Healers, using her magical talent." The article went on, and soon Lily had to excuse herself to the lavatory. She walked in, crying. She looked in the mirror – her hair held back with a scrunchie, her favorite jumper stained with blood.

The lavatory door opened, and James walked in. She gasped. "What are you doing in here?" she asked. "This is the girl's lavatory."

"I was making sure you were all right," James said.

Lily wiped her face, annoyed. "I don't need you to always check up on me," she said.

He went into one of the stalls and gave her a bundle of toilet paper. She blew her nose; then wiped her cheeks. "We really are too young," she said with a sniffle. "And think of all the kids – oh, my gosh." The two of them stood there for a moment. "Potter, could you please stop looking at me?"

"Why?" James asked, and his voice was hardly above a whisper.

"Because, it makes me feel uncomfortable," Lily said, covering one side of her face with her hand.

"You're pretty when you cry," James said. "And you're really crying. I mean, really. Do you know how – shit, Evans – you're so . . ."

"So what?" Lily asked. She felt his eyes on her, but wouldn't look at him.

"So. . .so you," James said. "So –"

"This war has to end," Lily said hysterically. She felt like an idiot for losing it in front of him, but she couldn't hold it back. Things were wrong, extremely wrong, and she didn't know how they would get better. "You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters aren't going to stop. Things are just getting worse!"

"I know," James replied. "It's ridiculous."

They stood there for a moment. Lily wiped her face. "What are you doing in here, Potter?" she asked.

"I just wanted to make sure you were all right," James said. "It's my job."

Lily shook her head. "No, it's not," she said. "Aren't I older than you?"

"Guys are supposed to be the heroes," James said in an amused voice.

Lily wiped her face, almost amused by this – here they were. It seemed like a stupid conversation, but they knew it was loaded, that they were talking about the two of them, about all of them, about the past, the present, the future.

"I can leave if you want me to," James said.

"I think I'm going to leave, too," Lily said. She tossed her toilet paper after one last blow of her nose. The two of them left the bathroom, and a lady raised her eyebrows at them as James left the girl's lavatory.

--

That night, the three of them were still helping at St. Mungo's. "Remus should be here," Sirius said. He and Lily were healing a small boy's broken leg. He had been found in a house, hiding in the basement. His Muggle parents had been killed. The boy was a wizard, and he told them he had been accepted into Hogwarts this summer. He was sleeping at the moment, and Lily was studying his bruised, swollen knee. "He's brilliant at this stuff."

"Yeah?" Lily asked, sounding distracted.

"Yeah," Sirius said. Remus would be a great Healer. Despite the whole werewolf thing, he knew the human body with genius and preciseness. But, he was in Greece, doing vacation time. "He's just got this thing with the human body."

Lily didn't reply at first. She looked thoughtful, then performed a spell to heal the boy's knee. It was a bad bruise, slightly green at certain parts. Sirius had has a few bruises like it, but never form Death Eaters. "Where is he?" she asked as the spell began to take effect.

"Greece," Sirius said. "He's got an uncle there."

Louise walked in, James behind her. "Lily, Sirius," she said. "They can't relocate people here, we're running out of room. You three have been great, but can I ask you to go to Liverpool?"

"Whatever you need, Louise," Lily said, nodding.

Soon, they had Apparated to Liverpool. Sirius still got a thrill from going from one place to another so quickly.

"This way," James said, waving his hand. He led the two of them through the city. Some houses were half-gone, there were crowds of people here and there, and the air smelled like smoke. Besides that, it looked like a normal evening. Sirius was sure they had spent the entire day trying to hide the remains from Muggles. There was only so much they could hide, though; what would they tell the papers? The families?

James approached a group of Aurors. "Mr. Moody," he said to the Head Auror. "I have a letter for you from Louise Montgomery." He held out an envelope.

"Ah," the gruff Auror said. He took the letter, his magical blue eye rolling over the three of them. Last summer, Mr. Potter introduced the two of them to the Head Auror. "James Potter and Sirius Black, right?"

"Right," James said, nodding.

Mad-Eye Moody opened the letter and started reading it. He finished it and turned to another Auror. Before he could speak, however, Lily stepped next to James and said, "I'm Lily Evans, sir, it's nice to meet you."

Moody looked at Lily, looking amused. Lily stuck out her hand – Moody grinned, shaking her small hand with his large, scarred one. "Nice to meet you, too," he said. He turned and started talking to the other Aurors. Sirius rolled his eyes, not at Lily's boldness, which he partly admired, but at the stupid grin on James's face.

"All right," an Auror said to the three of them as the others left. "I'm Caleb Dearborn. I'm supposed to take you to the mediwizard tent." He started to lead them toward the tent. "We've been finding people all day. It's great that you could come. How old are you guys?"

"Seventeen," James said.

Caleb Dearborn looked in his twenties, with rosy cheeks and perfect blonde hair. He reminded Sirius of Paul Brendell, despite the hair color. Same pretty boy character.

"Is your brother Caradoc?" Lily asked.

Caleb smiled. "Yeah!" he exclaimed. "You guys know him?"

"He was only a few years above us," Lily said with a nod.

At the tent, there were cots, mediwizards and witches, people being healed. "Caleb!" a stately-looking witch approached him. "Who's that with you?"

"This is –" Caleb began. He paused, seeing red wand sparks in the distance. "Emmeline, I've got to go." He started running away, then looked back over his shoulder. "If you see any Aurors, tell them there's an attack!"

James and Sirius only glanced at each other for a moment, then started running after him.

--

"Boys!" Emmeline yelled. "Where are you going?"

"As if she doesn't know," Sirius said to James.

"James! Sirius!" Lily shouted.

James and Sirius followed Caleb Dearborn. James heard Lily behind them, and wanted them to turn and tell her to go back. Dearborn turned into an alley, and they heard a blood-curdling scream. The boys ran in after him. A werewolf had two men on the ground; one of them Caleb Dearborn; the other an Auror that Moody had just been talking with. The wolf lost no time in attacking the boys.

"Oh, shit!" Sirius yelled, morphing into his Animagus form. He rolled into the attack and fought the wolf. James ran to the two Aurors. The unidentified one had been bit. Dearborn was scratched, as far at James could tell. His chest was cut open gruesomely; the other had been bit in the side. Lily ran into sight. She fell back from the large black dog and the wolf fighting, letting out a shriek.

"Lily, go away!" James yelled, waving his hands.

Lily looked at James, her eyes bright. "Are they – are they bit?" she asked.

"Get out of here!" James yelled. "Go get help!"

Padfoot let out a yelp as the wolf scratched him across the chest. Lily sucked in a gasp, backing up to the wall. She watched the two massive creatures fight viciously. The dog barked at James, leading the wolf out of the alley and most likely out of the town. Lily ran to James's side, falling to her knees.

"Evans, go – get – help –" James said.

"Potter, don't be stupid," Lily said angrily. "I have every right to be here –"

Mad-Eye Moody ran into the alley with a few Aurors behind him. He walked over to the two of them and the two motionless bodies. "Ah, hell," he said.

"This one's bit, but I don't think Dearborn is," James said, standing. "I'll go get help."

"Where's your friend?" Moody asked. Lily's eyes were on him.

"I don't know," James lied. He ran towards the tent, having a feeling that Moody's blue eye was following him. He sent a mediwizard towards the alley. He morphed into Animagus form, ignoring the risk of Moody's eye and how strange it would be to see a stag on the streets of Liverpool. He was determined to find Padfoot. He picked up the familiar scent and followed it to a dim forest. There was a strong scent of blood and a faint moaning sound.

Prongs saw a still form on the ground and morphed back into human form. "Oh, fuck," he said breathlessly, running to Sirius' side. "Padfoot – Padfoot, can you here me?"

Sirius moaned. He was covered in gashes and blood. "Prongs?" he said faintly.

"Where's the wolf?" James asked, searching Sirius's body for any teeth marks, any sign of a bite at all with frantic hands. Sirius groaned, hissing and fussing. "Where'd the wolf go, Sirius?"

"It's – forest – gone," Sirius struggled out. "James . . ."

"I'm right here," James said. His heart was racing, his hands were covered in Sirius's blood, he couldn't find any teeth marks, Sirius's arm was bent a funny way. He picked Sirius up into his arms, standing up. He walked with staggering legs back to the city, refusing to look down at Sirius's now unconscious form. He started yelling for help once he entered the streets. His body was going to give out.

"James!" Lily was running to him, her dark red hair flying behind her. She reached him, panting, and gasped at the sight of Sirius. She sent wand sparks into the air, yelling, her hand on James's arm.

After what seemed like an eternity, they were in the tent and two mediwitches were bending over Sirius, moving their wand quickly. Lily led him to a seat, putting a glass of water into his numb hands, all the while with her warm hand touching him, the only thing that felt real.

--

"James, it's getting really late," Lily said. She glanced at her watch. It was almost eleven. Liverpool was finally settling down. Sirius lay unconscious on a mat, James's eyes on him. The mediwitches were talking of closing the tent to visitors. James had been quiet since he brought Sirius in. He had helped Lily with what he could, but didn't leave the tent.

"I'm not leaving Sirius here," James said, looking at Lily with a hard look on his face.

"You should contact his parents," Lily offered. "Tell them what happened, and that he won't be coming home."

"He lives with me," James said.

Lily blinked. Gods, of course she knew that. She remembered that, but had never really thought about it. She looked away from James, her cheeks growing hot. "I knew that," she said. "Well, you should tell your parents, then." A silence fell between them. She looked at James again. "You can't stay here all night."

"Why not?" James asked sharply. "Who else is going to watch over him?"

"The mediwitches," Lily said.

One of the mediwitches walked over to the two of them. Lily couldn't recall her name, but she was pretty sure that the mediwitch knew James or his parents or both. "James," she said. "I owled your parents. They'll be coming soon to get you."

"I don't need them to come get me," James said indignantly. "I could Apparate home if I wanted –"

"They want to see Sirius," the mediwitch explained. "We're going to send him to St. Mungo's after they've seen him."

"And I'm going to stay there with him," James stated.

The mediwitch shook her head, a smile of pity creeping unto her face. "There are no visitors allowed," she said. "Your mother said –"

Before she could continue or James could argue with her, someone called James. A woman who looked in her fifties ran over to James, tears streaming down her face. She bent down, throwing her arms around James. A man came behind her, looking tired. Lily stood and stepped aside. It was evident these were his parents. His father had messy, thinning dark gray hair and knobbly knees. Her mother had glasses perched on her thin nose. Lily glanced away from them.

"Mum, please," she heard James saying.

Mrs. Potter was at Sirius's side as fast as lightning. "Oh, Sirius," she said, crying harder. "James, what happened?"

"I don't know," James said. "I went to find him – he was in the forest like that."

Mrs. Potter stroked back Sirius's hair, her fingertips skirting over his bandages, bloody clothes and pale skin. If Lily didn't know either of them, she would say Mrs. Potter was Sirius's own mother.

The mediwitch walked over to stand behind Mrs. Potter. "There are scratches that resemble . . ." she trailed off. "Well, they resemble that of a canine – a large dog, or . . . or a wolf."

"A wolf?" Mrs. Potter said, her eyes widening. "Like a werewolf?"

The mediwitch nodded. "But we haven't found any evidence of teeth marks quor bites," she said quickly. "We're going to send him to St. Mungo's tonight, as I told you in the letter. He should be all right – nothing some potions and tender loving care can't fix."

"It's not the full moon, either," James said quietly. He was staring at the ground. "But a werewolf attacked those Aurors. . ."

"Well, if it's not a full moon. . ." Mr. Potter trailed off. The mediwitch suddenly began to look very busy. Lily bit her lip, remembering the wolf that had chased off the big black dog, the Auror that had been bit, the half moon that hung in the sky.

Mrs. Potter sniffled a few times. She stood up, looking away from Sirius to her husband and son. "James, are you all right?" she asked. She walked over to her son, who wore blood-stained clothes. "Oh, James, dear." She put her hands on his shoulders.

"Mum, stop it," James said, stepping away from her.

"Are you all right?" she asked, crossing her arms. She seemed to finally have stopped crying.

"Yeah, I'm fine," James said. "I want to go to St. Mungo's with Sirius."

"James," Mr. Potter said, as though he had been expecting this.

"Dad, come on!" James exclaimed.

"You know there aren't visitors allowed," Mrs. Potter stated.

As the three of them argued, Lily noticed a mark of blood on the side of James's face. She stared at it for a moment while he got angry at his parents. She wondered if her parents were worrying, even though she knew the answer. She looked away from the blood on his face, crossing her arms and shivering.

"Mum, dad, I'm seventeen years old now –" James said.

"Adults can't visit St. Mungo's past hours, either!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed.

"James, even if we would let you, St. Mungo's won't," Mr. Potter said.

"I could go there to help, like I did today," James began.

"They have enough people there," Mr. Potter replied. "We've been there for a few hours; we went after you left."

James turned to look at Lily. "Lily, are you going back there?" he asked.

"Oh," Lily said, "I don't think so. I really need to get home. My parents will be worrying."

James just looked at her for a moment. "That's not what you were supposed to say," he said.

Lily could barely laugh. "My mum didn't want me to leave this morning at seven," she said. "I need to go home."

"Lily, you said?" Mrs. Potter asked. She put out her hand, walking towards Lily. "I'm Martha Potter."

"Nice to meet you," Lily said, shaking her hand. "I'm Lily Evans."

"That's my husband, Herbert Potter," Mrs. Potter said, motioning with her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Lily repeated, nodding at him.

"Is there anything we can do before we leave?" Mrs. Potter asked in a friendly tone.

"Oh, no," Lily said. "Thank you. I'll be fine, though. I'm just going to Apparate home once I'm sure they don't need anymore help here."

"Oh, no, dear, you really should get home," the mediwitch said kindly. "It's nearly eleven thirty. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"Who are your parents?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"Oh, they're Muggles," Lily said. "I live in Surrey – their names are Edward and Rose Evans."

"Well, maybe I'll get to meet them someday," Mrs. Potter said. Lily half-smiled, half-grimaced, sure that James was thinking about a future wedding.

"Martha, we should get going," Mr. Potter said. "James, why don't you say goodbye to Lily?"

"Bye," James said, looking grumpy.

"Bye, James," Lily said.

"Herbert!" a voice said behind them.

Mr. Potter turned and smiled at Mad-Eye Moody. He and Mrs. Potter left to talk to him for a moment. Lily and James awkwardly stood there.

"I'm sure he'll be fine in St, Mungo's," Lily said after she realized James was looking at Sirius.

James didn't reply. He nodded, crossing his arms.

"Why do you want to watch over him?" Lily asked. "I mean, you're not – not his guardian. It's not your responsibility. You're only seventeen, James – Sirius is older than you, anyway."

"It's just always been like this," James said in an odd voice.

"Like what?" Lily asked.

"I'm always watching over him," James said. "I am his guardian. I'm always fixing his mistakes or sticking up for him or watching him when he gets attacked by werewolves." He smirked. "It's my job."

"It doesn't have to be tonight," Lily said slowly.

James didn't reply again, and she heard his mother start crying again.

"You did great today," Lily said. She made a frustrated noise, wanting to hide in a hole. "I mean – I never thought you had it in you, Potter."

"Thanks – I think," James said, smirking.

Lily nodded. She was exhausted, and it showed – could she sound more ridiculous? James's parents came back over. "We'll see you later, Lily," Mr. Potter said.

"Yeah," Lily said.

The three of them started to walk away, following the mediwitches out with Sirius. James glanced over his shoulder to give Lily a smile. She waved goodbye. Once they fell out of sight, Lily finally Apparated home.

--

**A/N: **Thank you guys for the reviews! You rock!!

Here are three lines from the next chapter:

1) "Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix," he said.

2) Remus paused, considering what was worse: the letter never getting to Dumbledore or being read by Sirius or James.

3) James decided he loved being an adult.

I'll try to update in the next few weeks!


	19. Marauders

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter):** Frank meets with Dumbledore and joins the Order of the Phoenix. The werewolf attacks in the UK worsen.

--

"Professor Dumbledore?"

Frank blinked his eyes numerous times. Was he dreaming again? This couldn't be true. Here he was, in his quarters in Liverpool, to where he had been transferred for training when the attack took place a few days ago. It was almost three in the morning. He was wearing his pajamas, and Professor Dumbledore, his Headmaster, one of the most famous wizards in the world was bending over his bed, silver hairs from Dumbledore's beard tickling his chin.

"Frank!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "I'm sorry for the hour of this call, but I feel I must talk with you about most pressing matters."

"What?" Frank asked. He closed his eyes, rubbed them and then opened them – Dumbledore was still there. But now he was sitting on the bed opposite his, arranging his robes around him, and humming a tune. Frank sat up slowly. "Professor, are you real?"

"Oh, yes," Dumbledore replied, nodding. "Quite real, fortunately."

Frank nodded. "All right," he said. "Just making sure."

"As we have seen over the last seven years," Dumbledore said, waving his hand, "Lord Voldemort is waging war against all of the wizards and witches who oppose his views on blood purity and Dark Magic."

"Yeah, of course," Frank said.

"Well, I am afraid I know who Lord Voldemort is," Dumbledore said. "He was a former pupil of mine, and I know he will stop at nothing to gain power and control over his fellow witches and wizards."

"You know him?" Frank asked, his mouth falling open. Maybe he was dreaming.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "Many witches and wizards want to fight and help, but they don't know how to, or their fear takes over their desire for justice. I do not believe you are one of them. Already, you're in Auror training. Usually new Aurors wait until the fall to enter training, but I think, adding to the special circumstances, that you are an exceptional candidate for an Auror."

"Thank you," Frank said. He always knew Dumbledore supported his career choice, but he didn't think he had so much faith in him.

"Perhaps you wonder who else is fighting the fight," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps you've asked the question: Who other than the Aurors is fighting against Voldemort and his Death Eaters?"

"Actually, sir, I have," Frank said truthfully.

"I have organized a secret society of the best witches and wizards I know," Dumbledore said. "Its sole purpose is to find Voldemort, stop his plans and his followers – and to destroy him."

Frank sat on his bed for a moment, staring at Albus Dumbledore, the man only two months ago had been bidding the seventh years goodbye as they had their last meal at Hogwarts. "What do you think he can do?" Frank asked.

"I am afraid I do not know the limits of his power," Dumbledore said solemnly. "But I know that he does have limits. This society's job is to find out what they are and shorten them in any way that we are able to."

"Prof – Mr. – Dumbledore," Frank said. "Do you really think you'll be able to. . .destroy him?"

Dumbledore only nodded, looking at Frank though his half-moon spectacles. Frank remembered watching the interrogating of a captured Death Eater. He had sworn on Voldemort's immortality and unending power. No one had ever dueled Voldemort and gotten out of alive. But if anyone could kill him, surely Dumbledore.

"I am afraid the only thing we are clinging to at this point is hope," he said.

There was a moment of silence as Frank tried to compute the seriousness of what Dumbledore was telling him.

"Professor," Frank said, before he could stop himself, "it's three in the morning."

"I told you it was a secret society," Dumbledore said, a half-smile on his face. "And I have to be sure no one hears of the Order of the Phoenix."

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Frank repeated.

"I would be honored if you would join us in our pursuits," Dumbledore said.

Frank stared at Dumbledore, not knowing why he didn't expected this – only those who were in it knew about it, right? But he had said a society of the best witches and wizards he knew. . .Frank had always looked up to Albus Dumbledore, even as a child. He felt overwhelmed to be asked to be a member. He looked into Dumbledore's eyes and knew his answer.

He put out his hand. "I would be honored myself," he said, inclining his head.

Dumbledore smiled, shaking Frank's hand. He inclined his head as well. "Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix," he said.

--

One week later, Frank paced around in his flat anxiously. He shared it with Paul Brendell, and it was a nice place in the middle of London. He was waiting for a guest Dumbledore was sending over. He wasn't sure what to expect.

There was a knock on his door sometime after lunch. He walked over to the door and opened it. A young woman with tan skin stood there. "Hey, how's it going?" she said.

"Hey, come on in," Frank said. "You're coming from Dumbledore, right?"

"Yeah," she said, shaking his hand. "I'm Dorcas Meadowes."

"Frank Longbottom," Frank said, giving her a nod. "You want some tea?"

"Sure," Dorcas said. They sat down in Frank's living room and had some tea and crackers. They made some small talk. She had been three years above him in Ravenclaw. "So, anyways, I came here for a reason."

"Of course," Frank said.

Dorcas pulled out her wand. She walked around the small living room. "Muffliato," she said. "Protego Totalum. Salvio Hexia." She then reached into her purse. She pulled out a Chocolate Frog card. Dumbledore's face was on it, smiling pleasantly. She passed this to him. "You may need this," she said. "Dumbledore uses those every now and then."

Frank raised his eyebrows at her.

"For communication," Dorcas said. "You also might want to learn a messenger spell. You Conjure your Patronus and send it to someone. Sometimes it speaks, sometimes it doesn't."

"I think I've heard of it," Frank said.

"It's a bit complicated," Dorcas said. "It's Expecto Patronum Adlego, and then the name of the person you want to send it to. You think the message in your mind. I'll show you." She walked to the other side of the living room, waved her wand, and said, "Expecto Patronum Adlego Frank."

A silver Patronus in the form of a boxer ran to Frank. In Dorcas's slight Portugese accent, it said, "Dorcas Meadowes is sending a message."

"Impressive," Frank said.

"They don't teach it in Auror training," Dorcas said, "so you'll have to work on it in your free time."

"All right," Frank said.

"I would have you try it, but I've got to get going soon," Dorcas said. "Is your fireplace hooked up to the Floo Network?"

"Yeah," Frank said. Many fireplaces were hooked up, but hardly anyone had their fires up. Anyone could Floo into the home. At one time, that had been safe. Now, most people only started fires at certain times of the day or when they expecting company.

"And you've got an owl?" Dorcas asked.

Frank nodded. "Codes change a lot," Dorcas said. "But let me show you the one we'll be using for the summer."

They sat down around the coffee table. Dorcas took a letter out of her back pocket. "The word that starts it is magic," she said. "After that, every tenth word is part of the message. Then it ends with magic again. You have to put the last word or the reader might think there's more to come."

Dorcas laid it down on the table. She Conjured a self-inking quill. "Try to decode this letter," she said, holding the quill out for him.

Frank examined the paper, and made marks under the right words.

Dear Frank,

Well, how have you been? The other day I went to Flourish and Blotts and I bought A History of Magic. My boss says I have to have it for a project at work. It's getting a little hectic. The meetings are so long! We can't eat on the job! Next we won't have Saturdays. Oh, well, at least on Tuesday I'll get to go to the Arrows game. Exciting! Edgar's going to go, I think. You should try to come! You like the Arrows, right? Maybe we can hang at my house afterward. Cookies sound good? I'll make you one good snickerdoodle! I should go, History of Magic is calling me!

Hope to see you,

Dorcas

Frank paused. "A meetings next Tuesday, Edgar's, come at one?" he said.

"Good," Dorcas said. "Sometimes the messages aren't perfect sentences because they take bloody forever to write. And you'd never get such an important message in a letter. Too risky."

"Okay," Frank said.

"That's communication so far," Dorcas said with a shrug. "I mean, there are other ways. They're not that important right now. Any questions?"

Frank paused. "What does the Order of the Phoenix actually do?" he asked.

"We're just trying to find a way to kill You-Know-Who," Dorcas said. "He seems immortal, but everyone's human. . .but we're trying to get close enough to find out what his secret is. Taking down Death Eaters and saving lives on the way." She shrugged as though that was all that important.

Frank's brow furrowed in confusion. There had to be more. "What am I going to be doing?" he asked.

Dorcas shrugged again. "Part of that is Dumbledore's choice," she said. "Actually, pretty much all of it is."

"So, he'll contact me?" Frank asked.

"Yep," Dorcas said.

"And this is top secret?" Frank asked, thinking of Alice.

"Top secret," Dorcas said, narrowing her eyes.

Frank paused. "Who can join?" he asked.

"Adults that Dumbledore approves," Dorcas replied. "He's in charge of the membership. No one know all of the members in the Order. You meet some of them, you do things with some of them, and others you just hear about."

Nodding, Frank realized the seriousness of what he had agreed to. "Does You-Know-Who know we exist?" he asked.

"Not yet," Dorcas said. "Let's hope it stays that way." She stood up. "I gotta go. Burn that letter." She waved her wand, performing the counterspells for the protective spells she had performed earlier. "Oh, who do you live with?"

"My friend Paul Brendell," Frank said.

"Do you trust him?" Dorcas asked.

"Yeah," Frank said.

Dorcas nodded. "Well, be careful, anyway," she said. "I'll see you around."

"Thanks," Frank said, opening the front door for her.

"No problem," Dorcas said. And she left.

--

"Remus! Remus, wake up!"

Remus groaned, pulling the covers over his head. "Remus," his dad said, pulling them back down. "Look at the paper. There was an attack at Liverpool."

Remus reluctantly sat up, rubbing his eyes. He took Magical Greece from his dad. They hadn't been getting The Daily Prophet since they had come to Greece two weeks ago, but there was a paper for the wizards in Greece. There was a picture of the Dark Mark floating over a house, and the headline ATTACK IN LIVERPOOL CLAIMS 43 LIVES.

"Oh, bloody hell," he said. He read through the article - the attack started at four am the previous morning, the city being overrun with Death Eaters and Dark Creatures. "Werewolves?"

Remus looked up at his dad, but he shrugged cluelessly. How had they transformed when it wasn't the full moon? Thoughts flew over his mind; did Voldemort have something to cause the transformation at times other than the full moon? Who would he use it on? When?

He read on, the dark thought looming in the back of his mind. "A handful of seventh years were helping at St. Mungo's all day," he read. "Among them were Lily Evans, rumored to be Head Girl this upcoming year, and James Potter, son of Herbert Potter the Hit-Wizard, and Sirius Black, both of whom are aiming to be Aurors after Hogwarts."

The article went on, giving reasons why Voldemort may have targeted Liverpool. The economy and industry in the city had gone down in recent years, so maybe Voldemort and his followers wanted to further the decline. Many Muggleborns who had risen to power were from Liverpool, including Robert McCorkle and Paul Palmer.

His dad, sitting next to him, shook her head. "I haven't told your mother yet," she said.

Remus let out a sigh. His mum knew about the war, but she wanted their family to avoid it as much as they could. Remus knew it wasn't going to be like that. They couldn't avoid it. He didn't want to even if they could. "Don't tell her until we get back," he said. "She'll want us to move to Greece."

His dad smiled. "That wouldn't be so bad, would it?" he asked. "We've had a great time here."

"Dad, we can't avoid this," Remus said.

His smile faded. "Remus, this war is real," he said. "People are dying. Did you know I've gotten death threats for marrying your mother and having you?"

"What?" Remus asked. "From who?"

"It doesn't matter," he said, "the point is we're in danger."

"So, we're just going to run away?" Remus asked. "You were a Gryffindor."

"Yeah," his dad said quietly as though he wished he hadn't reminded him. "I know that. It's just. . .no one has ever faced You-Know-Who and survived."

Remus stood up, dropping the paper in his lap. "I'm going to get dressed," he said.

His father watched him leave, looking as though he wanted to say something, but remained silent. Remus walked into the small bathroom he and his parents had been sharing. He splashed some water on his face, then looked at himself in the mirror, brushing wet hair from his brow. He wanted to run just as much as his parents, but that didn't mean he was going to.

--

Remus got a letter from James later on that day. Luckily, he didn't think his relatives saw the owl.

Remus,

Hey, are you all right? Last night, when Sirius and I were in Liverpool, he got attacked by a werewolf. It's not full moon, though. . .no one knows what's going on, but I just wanted to make sure you were safe in Greece.

There was a blob of ink, idicating James had written more, but then crossed it out.

Never mind. You're with Muggles, aren't you? I hope the owl isn't freaking them out. Write back.

James

P.S. Sirius is fine, he's just beat up. No bites or anything. But some Auror got bit. Anyways, yeah. Write back.

Remus let out a sigh as James's owl nibbled at Remus's neglected toast. He could tell the subject made James feel awkward. He wanted to visit them, but at the same time, he was afraid of being caught up in whatever You-Know-Who was doing to the other werewolves. He could Apparate there and back. It would be a good distance, though. Splinching was not something he wanted to do.

After laying around on his bed as James's owl waited for a response, Remus finally decided to write Dumbledore.

He wrote and rewrote a letter about ten times. There was a small pile of crumpled up pieces of parchment on the ground by the time he had his finished project.

Professor Dumbledore,

I've never written you during the holidays, so I hope this gets to you somehow. I just had a question about the werewolves that were at the Liverpool attack. It wasn't the full moon, so I was wondering if you had any idea how they transformed. Right now, I'm in Greece with my parents, but I want to make sure it's safe to come home. If it's nothing, just let me know. I'd rather know and be safe than not be sure and be sorry later on.

I hope you're enjoying your summer.

Sincerely,

Remus Lupin

Remus sighed again. He hated this.

His mum walked in their room, making Remus nearly jump out of his skin. "You all right?" Nancy asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Remus said. "I'm fine."

"Dad told me about the attack," Nancy said.

Remus wondered if he had told her about the werewolves as well. He nodded, avoiding her eyes. "Sucks," he said shortly.

He looked at James's owl, and then realized he didn't have an owl to send his letter to Dumbledore. If he sent it with his letter to James's, it would probably be read. Remus paused, considering what was worse: the letter never getting to Dumbledore or being read by Sirius or James. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he decided the former. He jotted down a note to James, along with asking him to send the letter to Dumbledore, and then sent the owl off.

"People might start to notice that," Nancy said moderately.

"Yeah," Remus said. "Sorry."

"Well, it won't be like every day, though, right?" Nancy asked.

"I don't think so," Remus said, looking out the window.

"You all right?" Nancy asked again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Remus said. He looked at his mum and met his eyes. "I'm fine."

Nancy nodded, then left the room with her camera.

--

James had been at St. Mungo's all day. This building was starting to drive him crazy. He was pretty sure he was imagining things, too. Like pixies. . .they didn't have pixies at St. Mungo's, did they?

He had helped around with Lily and visited Sirius. His parents had tried to get him to come home for dinner, but he refused to leave. James was an adult now, too, so his parents had no choice but to leave him there. James decided he loved being an adult. He ate some of Sirius's disgusting food. "They need Hogwarts's house-elves here," he said, making a face.

"No kidding," Sirius said.

Lily walked over to them. She was adorable with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and a name tag on her white blouse. "How're you feeling?" Lily asked.

"All right," Sirius said with a shrug.

Lily motioned to the door. "James, were you looking for Mad-Eye Moody?" she asked.

"Is he out there?" James asked, standing up.

At Lily's nod, he jogged to the door. Mad-Eye was limping away. "Hey, Mr. Moody," he called. He caught up with him.

"How's your friend?" Mad-Eye asked.

"Good," James said. "I was wondering if you guys had found out more about the, uh, the werewolf thing."

"The what?" Mad-Eye asked.

"You know, why the werewolves had transformed when it wasn't a full moon," James said. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Ah," Mad-Eye said with a nod. "You'll have to ask the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, sonny."

"Oh," James said. "They'd know about the werewolves that were there?"

Mad-Eye nodded, both of his eyes on him. "You got a concern?" he asked.

"Well, if there are werewolves on the loose, then yes," James said, crossing his arms. He was thinking of Remus, mostly. Of how James could tell it killed him, how he had to be caged up, how he would hate putting that burden on anyone else. He was thinking of what Voldemort would do if he could change the wizards and witches who were werewolves into their wolf formation at all times.

"Right," Mad-Eye said. "The Aurors will give them reports and all that, of course, but they're in charge of it, ultimately."

James just nodded. "Okay, thanks," he said. "Hey, you know Frank?"

"Longbottom?" Mad-Eye asked. "He'll be a right Auror."

"He's enjoying it?" James asked.

"Well, not many recruits enjoy training, per se," Mad-Eye said. He let out a gruff laugh. He clapped James on the shoulder. "We'll see how you and Black enjoy it next year!"

James grinned. "Yeah," he said.

"See you around, Potter," Mad-Eye said. He limped away.

James walked back to the room, smiling, but then remembered what he had gone to Mad-Eye about in the first place.

--

The next day, Remus woke up as the sun came up. The sun shone through his window, getting into his eyes. He groaned, pulling the covers over his head. It was too early. . .

He heard a rapping noise on the window. He looked up warily. Another owl? Good lord, the Muggles were going to have to start noticing. This one held a paper. He let the owl in. Magical Greece. Remus handed him a knut from deep inside his bag. The owl hooted and flew off into the distance. Remus was about to toss the paper aside and go back to bed, but he noticed an article on the front page.

WEREWOLF ATTACKS SINCE THE LIVERPOOL ATTACK

Following the strange appearances of werewolves at the Liverpool Attack on July 15th have been more werewolf attacks. Although the moon is not full, wolves have been in their complete transformed state in Britain every night since the attack. Last night, there was twelve reported attacks, five of which were on family members. Six of these attacks resulted in a bite, and one victim was killed. Victims had little way of defense; most spells do not work on werewolves. A group of three hid in their cellar after being attacked, and others used Shield Spells or Patroni.

Many werewolves turned themselves in this morning, wanting to keep their family and friends safe. The Ministry of Magic in Britain is trying to figure out the source of these events, although many assume You-Know-Who is behind it. "With many witches and wizards under their wolf formation, You-Know-Who will create a source of fear and panic," Minister of Magic Harver Ogden said in an interview with The Daily Prophet.

If you are a werewolf or you know of one, please report to the authorities until they can fix this problem. For everyone else, as soon as the moon comes out, lock all of your doors and spell-proof your windows. There have been no reports of werewolf attacks in Greece, but You-Know-Who has more power than thought before.

"Shit," Remus breathed.

He pulled on some jeans and then slipped his shoes on. He stuffed his things into his bags. There was no way he was staying here. No way. Even though there had been nothing in Greece, he wasn't going to put his parents into that kind of danger. He left a short note, I had to go. I'm sorry. Tell everyone I'm really thankful. I love you guys. -Remus

He left the paper in his mum's purse just in case any of his relatives came in before they woke up. He opened the door quietly and slipped out of the bedroom. The rest of the room was still dark. He walked out of the house. The sun was slowly rising, and the waves shimmered in the sunlight. The boats by the dock rocked silently back and forth. Remus started walking. He didn't know where he was going, but he needed to clear his head before he tried to Apparate.

--

**A/N: **-EHWIES, FaithfulHPReader, mercurywrites, flowerypetal, Hornet-Is-CoOL, muddy worm, and sweetcherrypie: Thank you ssoooooo much for the reviews! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

Next chapter: Remus tries to figure out what to do and runs into Sirius and James. And there may or may not be an attack.

Also! I started character development journals at .com and .com . There are little extras there like flashbacks, soundtracks, and the like! Feel free to add either journal if you have an IJ or LJ, or just enjoy the entries.


	20. Werewolf!

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **James and Sirius leave to help Remus. Remus runs into them, and they go to find Dumbledore to see what's behind these werewolf attacks.

--

"This is ridiculous!" James exclaimed, throwing The Daily Prophet on the floor.

His mother jumped. "What?" she asked.

"Why haven't they found out what's causing it?" James asked. "Six people - six bloody people - and one of them was killed!"

His parents glanced at each other, and then looked at James with wide eyes. James stood up. "I'm going to visit Sirius," he said.

"James," his mother groaned. "You got home at midnight last night!"

James ignored her. He went up to his room, grabbing his coat and shoes. Bloody Aurors. Bloody Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures - they would have prevented this if they knew how to do their job correctly. He would go get Sirius, break him out of St. Mungo's, and the two of them would leave to find Remus. James had sent an owl or two back and forth with Peter, but he was exiled to his house. Not that he would really bring him, anyways, since he would probably slow them down. He loved the guy, but there was a line drawn somewhere.

James Flooed to St. Mungo's, ignoring his parents. He checked in with the welcome witch, then jogged up to Sirius's ward. He was in a room with dozens of other beds and patients. St. Mungo's definitely wasn't empty. There was a commotion going on at Sirius's bed. Sirius was standing up in his white medical gown and arguing with Lily and the Head Healer of the ward.

"I'm an adult!" Sirius exclaimed. "I can check myself out!"

"Yes, technically, you can," the Healer said. "But it is not recommended."

"All I have are some sodding bruises left," Sirius said. "I'm fine! Trust me, I've had worse, and then all I had was -" he paused, seeing James walked towards them. "All I had was James Potter, and he did a better job than you have."

"Sirius, you're still on a potion," Lily said, her arms crossed.

"I'll take it home," Sirius snapped. He looked at James. "Ready?"

James nodded. Lily looked at them with an incredulous look. "You're checking yourself out because you're going to go fool around with James?" she asked.

The Healer put his hands to his temple, massaging it slowly. "You know what," he said. "You're an adult. Take the potion. I wouldn't recommend moving too much or getting in a fight with a werewolf anytime soon."

"Michael!" Lily exclaimed. "You're actually letting him leave?"

"Where are my clothes?" Sirius asked.

The Healer reached under Sirius's bed. Lily glared at them. "You're idiots," she said. "What stupid things do you have planned today?"

"None of your business," Sirius said harshly.

The Healer handed Sirius a bundle of clothes. "We cleaned and repaired them as well as we could," he said. "Have a good day, Mr. Black."

"You, too," Sirius said, inclining his head. He started taking off his medical gown, obviously too impatient to find a lavatory.

Lily let out a frustrated noise. James had to admit she was cute when she was angry. Her eyebrows furrowed and a small line of worry appeared. She looked around. "This is totally inappropriate," she said.

"Avert your eyes," Sirius said, pulling on his t-shirt. He pulled on his jeans, hopping around a little bit. Then he laced up his boots. He looked up at James. "Let's go."

The two of them began to leave. "See you later," James said, winking at Lily.

They had reached the corridor when they realized Lily was following them. Sirius rolled his eyes at James. She got unto the lift with them. "What are you doing?" Sirius asked.

"You forgot your potion," Lily said, holding it out for him.

"Thanks," Sirius said.

Lily looked at them intently. "This is about Remus, isn't it?" she asked.

James's eyes widened. Sirius shoved James aside to look at Lily. "What?" he said.

Lily pursed her lips, looking from Sirius to James. "You think I'm an idiot?" she asked. "You didn't think I'd catch on? Honestly. What are you going to do?"

"Did I mention it was none of your business?" Sirius asked.

Someone stepped unto the lift. They fell silent for a moment, and then Lily said, "How do you think you're going to help? Don't you think he'll be safe in Greece?"

"Is anywhere safe?" James asked.

There was a moment of silence again. "I want to go with you," Lily said.

"No!" James and Sirius said in unison.

"Why not?" Lily asked. "I'm his friend, too."

"No," James repeated, meeting her eyes.

They got off the lift and walked unto the ground floor. Lily followed behind them. "I want to go with you," she repeated.

James turned around. Lily nearly walked into him, and then blushed. "Lily, no," he said. "Remus wouldn't want you to come."

She looked hurt for a moment. James paused, searching for words. "Look, you have no idea. . ." he trailed off. There were many things he wanted to say. What we're doing. What it's like. How hard this is. How Remus is. He shook his head. "We'll see you later."

--

Remus's house was silent. Sirius and James broke in past the locks and spells. After they were sure nothing would give them away, they crept inside the foyer. The lights were off. James switched on the lights. They had been to Remus's house before, of course, but not without Remus. They walked to the kitchen, looking for an address to his uncle's house in Greece.

James looked on the refrigerator. There was a picture of the four of them, a few piece of papers, and a few odd magnets. He shook his head. Muggle things.

There was a pop! that made James jump out of his skin. He whipped out his wand, but then saw Remus standing in the living room. "What are you doing here?" he said.

"You scared the dung out of me!" James exclaimed, putting his hand over his heart.

Sirius walked in front the dining room. "Moony!" he said. "We helped ourselves in."

Remus dropped his backpack on the kitchen table. "What are you doing here?" he repeated.

"The question is," James said, pocketing his wand, "what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be Greece?"

"I left," Remus said shortly. "I was going to grab some more things and then run away to New Zealand."

"New Zealand?" James repeated. His eyebrows furrowed. "Where's that?"

"Does it matter?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, I'm going there," Remus said.

"We'll go to New Zealand with you," James said.

Sirius rolled his eyes. Remus's jaw flexed; James was pretty sure he was serious about running away to this mysterious land. "Right," he said. "Look, why don't we just go to the Forbidden Forest?"

Remus didn't say anything, but just looked miserable.

"Come on, what could be better than running around all night in our Animagus forms?" Sirius asked.

"You're kidding, right?" Remus raised his voice. "Going through that transformation every and night. Bloody splendid." He sat down at his kitchen table, obviously at his wit's end. He put his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking. James glanced at Sirius, the two of them silent.

"I was going to turn myself in," Remus finally said.

"To the Ministry?" Sirius asked incredulously. "That's ridiculous. You know they're putting the werewolves in Azkaban? As if you can bloody help it!"

Remus did not look up. James knew Sirius was right. Maybe Remus shouldn't have come back; Greece probably would have been safer. But there were Death Eaters and Dark Magic in other countries, including Greece, so who knew how long it would take before this spell reached there as well.

"Isn't it better than putting someone in danger?" Remus said weakly.

"No," Sirius said. "Look, I'm sure Dumbledore will let us use the Shrieking Shack."

"Me," Remus said. "He doesn't know you're Animagi. Do you have any intention of telling him?"

"We could get in through Zonko's," Sirius offered.

"Or you could just let me go by myself," Remus said.

This did not seem to be an option that had ever crossed Sirius's mind. He looked immensely confused, and looked at James as though trying to tell whether Remus was serious or not. "What would the point of that be?" Sirius asked.

"Gee, I don't know," Remus said, throwing up his arms. "Not killing you, not biting you. What do you think, James? Are those valid reasons? Don't you want to live to marry Lily and live a normal life?"

"Okay, you don't have to be a dick," Sirius snapped. James sighed; the two of them were like an old-married couple.

Remus stood up, knocking over the chair across from him. James jumped at the act of anger, and he could tell this was killing Remus. He never yelled, and he never got angry, especially at his friends. "Why not?" Remus yelled. "You're being an idiot!"

"How?" Sirius yelled back at him.

Remus put his hands on his head and pulled at his hair. He closed his eyes tightly and let out a frustrated yell. "You don't bloody get it!" he said. "You don't get anything, Sirius! You never think, and you don't ever consider. . .how it might feel if I bit you. . .or killed you!"

"Nothing has ever happened before!" Sirius shouted.

"Well, werewolves have never turned when it wasn't the full moon, either!" Remus yelled. "Maybe there's more to this spell than what we know! Maybe You-Know-Who is using them or something! Maybe I'm in deep shit. Did you ever think of that? That's why I want to turn myself in, okay?"

"You're not going to turn yourself in," Sirius said angrily.

"Right, and that's your decision to make!" Remus exclaimed.

He started pacing around the kitchen angrily. Sirius let out a frustrated sigh, leaning against the island in the kitchen. James put his hands in his pockets. "I say we go to Hogwarts," he said. "Dumbledore knows that we know. We'll just say we wanted to be with you. He'll have no idea about us being Animagi."

Remus paused, putting his hands on his hips. He started nodding. "Fine. Dumbledore," he said. "What's the quickest way to contact him?"

"Apparate to Hogsmeade and owl him?" Sirius suggested.

"Let's do that," Remus said. He grabbed his backpack, avoiding their eyes.

He flicked his lights off with his wand. "Where's Peter?" he asked.

"His mum has exiled him to his house," Sirius said.

"Right," Remus said. "Let's go." He paused as they got ready to Apparate. "Thanks, by the way."

--

Lily helped around St. Mungo's, but she wasn't able to concentrate. She kept thinking about where James and Sirius might be, and how Remus was doing. The Healers didn't notice her absent-mindedness because they were too busy. On her lunch break, she walked around after she was finished eating. On the ground floor, she saw Mrs. Potter talking with the welcome witch.

"About two hours ago, he checked himself out," the welcome witch said.

"He's allowed to do that?" Mrs. Potter asked, her eyes wide.

"He is an adult," the welcome with said calmly. "Are you his mother?"

"Yes," Mrs. Potter said without a second thought. She looked up and saw Lily. "Lily!"

Lily gave her a nervous smile. Mrs. Potter walked over to her. "Do you know where Sirius and James are?" she asked.

Lily just shrugged helplessly. She felt bad for lying to her, but she would feel worse giving them away. Mrs. Potter glanced around, a worried look on her face. "Look," she said, meeting Lily's eyes, "you wouldn't happen to know where Remus is, would you?"

Tensing, Lily paused, trying to figure out how to respond. "Um, isn't he vacationing in Greece?" she asked.

"I just. . ." Mrs. Potter trailed off. "Those boys can be so fool-hardy sometimes. And it's not safe for them. . .especially the three of them. . .Sirius is a supposed 'blood-traitor' and Remus is a half-blood and a. . ."

Lily realized she knew about Remus, somehow. Had Remus told her? Had Sirius or James? She couldn't see any of them telling her - so how had she found out?

Mrs. Potter swallowed, her look of worry getting worse. She sighed a little bit. "I need to find them," she said.

Lily hesitated before replying. She wanted to find them as well, but she didn't want to help Mrs. Potter find them. "Well, I don't think I can help," Lily said weakly.

Mrs. Potter nodded. "Thank you, dear," she said. "I'll see you later." She gave her a smile, then left. Lily watched after her, biting her lip, and worrying even more.

--

The Three Broomsticks was probably the most empty Sirius had ever seen it. After the attack, people were staying inside as much as they could. They had sent Dumbledore an owl and were waiting for a response. "Hopefully he's there," James said, his head on the table.

"Where else would he be?" Sirius asked.

Madam Rosmerta was washing tables, there were a few men huddled in a far corner, and the rest of the village was quiet. Remus hadn't spoken much. "What do you think they'll think after they hear the screams every night?" he said quietly.

"It's not going to be every night," Sirius said.

Remus looked at him. "It has been since the attack," he said.

"Have you changed?" James asked.

"No," Remus said. "But what if. . ."

"They're going to take care of it," James said.

"I'm glad you have that kind of faith," Remus said shortly.

Madam Rosmerta walked over to them, smiling. "You boys want anything else?" she asked.

Remus had, for the first time, finished his firewhiskey before the other two. "I'll have another one," he said, holding the jug out for Madam Rosmerta.

"Tough morning?" she asked, smirking.

"You have no idea," Remus said.

She walked away, her hips swaying in her ruby red robes. "If she wasn't twenty years older than me. . ." Sirius shook his head.

The door opened. Looking over James's shoulder, Sirius saw a few figures walked in with hooded cloaks. He watched them suspiciously as they drew their wands. "Watch out," Sirius said, taking out his wand.

Remus and James looked over their shoulders. One of the hooded men pointed his wand at them and yelled, "Werewolf!"

The three of them jumped up, drawing their wands. Sirius shot a spell at the leader of them, taking his voice. He responded with a non-verbal spell, flying Sirius into the table. The table's legs broke under the force of the spell, and the table dropped, painfully jolting Sirius. Sirius felt like his insides were on fire and let out a yell of pain.

Spells were being flown here and there. The men in the corner joined the duel, and James and Remus continued to try to defend themselves. Madam Rosmerta flung a few spells, trying to stop the duel, but she was Stunned quickly.

Sirius got up from his position on the ground, groaning. His knees were shaking; he had been hit with something good. The side of James's head was bleeding, but he yelled, "Protego!"

A Shield sprung up in between the three of them and the attackers - most likely Death Eaters. "Run!" James yelled at Remus. Remus looked upset for a moment, then seemed to realize he would rather run and be a coward than face the men who obviously had it in for werewolves.

There were four men fighting the three Death Eaters. One of them flung a spell at a Death Eater, sending his hood backwards. Sirius recognized his face - it was Bellatrix's husband Rodolphus. The one who had revealed him yelled at James and Sirius, "Go!"

James and Sirius glanced at each other, then bolted after Remus. Sirius stopped quickly, his insides killing him. He felt like he had after Snape broke his ribs, only worse. "Bloody hell," he groaned. What was it with Death Eaters going for his ribs?

James came back, half-dragging, half-pulling Sirius out of The Three Broomsticks. "Zonko's?" Remus asked. He was sporting his wand-wrist, which was bent at a funny angle.

"Make sure we're not being followed," James said, looking over his shoulder.

Remus grabbed Sirius's other arm, and the two of them pulled him to Zonko's, which was closed, of course. "Bloody hell!" James exclaimed. "It's a weekday!"

There was a pop! and then Albus Dumbledore was standing before them. He had a severe look on his face as he realized Sirius was injured. Sirius began to feel lightheaded. Something was seriously wrong. Dumbledore levitated him in the air. Sirius felt like he was flying as the three of them walked to the gates of Hogwarts. He tried not to black out, forcing himself to stay awake. The trees and sky moved above him, and they slowly faded to darkness.

--

Safe in the infirmary of Hogwarts, James, Remus, and Sirius were getting care for their injuries. The shoulder of James's shirt and the entire right side of his face was stained in blood. He had passed out soon after they entered the castle, but Madam Pompfrey was now cleaning him up. "He'll be fine," she said as she gently mended his wound.

Sirius was lying on the bed next to him, also unconscious, and a Healer from St. Mungo's was prodding his wand around Sirius's ribs. He still had bruises and cuts from getting attacked at Liverpool, and now there seemed to be internal damage.

"Remus, are you listening to me?" Dumbledore said.

Remus looked away from his friends up at his Headmaster. "Yes," he said.

"You're sure they didn't hex you with the words Moris Lupus?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Remus said. "There was the Cruciatus, then he broke my wand hand." He touched his wrist gingerly, but Madam Pompfrey had already healed it. "Nothing else."

"Nothing else," Dumbledore said. "You didn't feel any other sort of spell?"

"No," Remus said firmly. "Is that the spell that makes you transform when it isn't the full moon?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "Is it very, very Dark Magic. Along with the spell, a potion has to be injected into your blood, followed by another spell. If these three aren't performed in perfect sequenced and at the exact right time, the werewolf could die."

"Nothing happened," Remus said, sick to his stomach.

"Good," Dumbledore said, a look of relief on his face. "No one has ever tried it, but Voldemort has achieved much magic most people would never attempt in their wildest dreams. It is a rare Dark Magic that is on the way to being extinct because of the rarity of the potion ingredients."

"How did they know I was a werewolf?" Remus asked. He stared at his friends.

"There are many ways they could have found out," Dumbledore said. "For one, your letters."

Remus closed his eyes with a sigh, putting his head in his hands. "The Death Eaters intercept most owls, especially mine," Dumbledore said. "You have to be extremely careful, Remus." He paused. "They also have access to Werewolf Registry at the Ministry of Magic. They also know the man who bit you."

A chill of shock went through Remus. "The man who bit me?" he repeated.

"Fenrir Greyback," Dumbledore said. He looked at Remus. "Perhaps you should ask your father."

Remus stared at him. His father had never mentioned the man who bit him. He had always assumed it had been an accident. He had always pitied him. "What happened?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Like I said, Remus, perhaps you should ask your father," he said.

"Why?" Remus said. "If you know -"

"It's his place," Dumbledore said.

Remus gritted his teeth. His father was in Greece at the moment, and he was here. There was a moment of silence. "So, where should I go to stay safe?" he asked. What he really meant was to keep others safe.

Dumbledore paused. "I do think you should stay indoors and away from Death Eaters," he said. "Where are your parents?"

"Greece," Remus said. "We were on vacation. I was afraid something might happen."

"That's understandable," Dumbledore said.

Remus felt a spark of annoyance. He doubted Dumbledore understood what it was like to be a werewolf and fear for the lives of his family and friends because of what he may do to them.

"But I think it would be safest to go back," Dumbledore said. "There are not too many Death Eaters in Greece. The spell I was telling you about only works for one night, and I don't think you are. . .valuable enough for them to follow you to Greece and give so much effort."

Remus looked over at Sirius and James again. "Will I be someday?" he asked. He could be used as a tool to kill James or Sirius when they became Aurors, when they became a threat.

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said. "Like I said, however, the ingredients for this potion are in extremely short supply, and they are getting shorter by the minute."

Remus didn't know what that meant, but he wasn't about to try to get straight answers from Dumbledore.

Before either of them could say more, Professor McGonagall came in. Mrs. Potter was trailing behind her, looking frantic. "Oh, boys!" she exclaimed. She ran past Professor McGonagall. She rushed to James's side first, tears streaming down her cheeks. "What happened?"

"They were attacked at The Three Broomsticks," Dumbledore said.

Mrs. Potter looked at Remus, then quickly looked away. His heart sank; she knew.

"He's going to be just fine," Madam Pompfrey told her gently.

Mrs. Potter walked to Sirius, crying openly. "What's wrong with him?" she asked the Healer.

"He's got some internal rib damage," the Healer told her.

"He got a few ribs broken just a month ago," Madam Pompfrey said, shaking her head. "That boy can't stay out of trouble."

Remus ran a hand through his hair. He felt horrible. There was a sinking feeling of guilt in the bottom of his stomach. He wanted to spew his brains out and then live in New Zealand until the war was over. There was a few soft footsteps, and then he felt Mrs. Potter's arms around him. He tensed, but she pulled him close. His arms were down at his sides, but he just relaxed into her embrace, feeling tears build up in the back of his throat. She pulled him even closer, her fragile arms doing what she could to hold him. He closed his eyes, tears falling down his face, and he knew that she forgave him.

--

**A/N: **FaithfulHPReader and -EHWIES : Thank you for the kind reviews!! The rest of you are slacking - I got 99 hits on the last chapter, and only two reviews. tsk, tsk, tsk.

Also, I'm not sure why the links didn't show up, but they're http:// glasshearts . insanejournal . com and http:// ghearts . livejournal . com - take out the spaces, of course.

Next up. . .we see Peter (yes, he's still alive!) and Remus returns to his parents to ask them about Fenrir Greyback.


	21. Returning Home

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Peter's alive! Remus asks his parents about Fenrir Greyback.

--

Peter gazed out of his window, sighing. He did not want to be in his house anymore. His mum was making him clean, cook, fold clothes. Of course, she could have done any of it herself, her wand much quicker, but she was trying to distract him.

Only sixteen days until July 20th, when he would turn seventeen. He had already scheduled his Apparition test for July 21st. Then he could leave when he wanted, do magic when he wanted. He knew his mum was just looking out for him, but that didn't make it not annoying. His three older friends were already of age, so they were helping at St. Mungo's, regardless of what their parents wanted.

Peter moved away from the living room window and lay down on the couch. On the coffee table was the Daily Prophet, an article about the mysterious werewolf attacks gracing the front page. Peter thought about Remus, frowning. James had written him a letter a few days ago, letting him know Sirius had been attacked by a werewolf and he was in St. Mungo's, but there had been no word since then.

"Peter!" his mum called.

Peter groaned. "What?" he asked. Not the china, please, not the china.

"You've got an owl," his mum said.

Peter jumped up and jogged into the kitchen. He took his owl from his mum. "Excited?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Thanks," Peter said. He took it up to his bedroom, closing the door behind him. There were Gryffindor and Wimbourne Wasps posters and pictures around on the walls. His room was always a bit messy, he had gotten out of cleaning it so far this summer.

He ripped open the envelope and found a letter from James.

_Peter,_

_Hey, mate, how's it going? Let your mum know she should let you out of the house - you only have two weeks until you're of age. You should be here at my house._

_Sirius and I saw Remus the other day. We actually got attacked at The Three Broomsticks. Death Eaters tried to hex Remus into that werewolf-for-one-night thing. Dumbledore says it's really hard magic and it involves some really rare potion, too. I would tell you where Remus is right now, but Dumbledore also said that Death Eaters intercept a lot of owls. He's safe, though._

_Sirius is in St. Mungo's again. That place is driving me crazy, so I helped for a few hours then came home. My mum says hi._

_You're coming over here for your birthday, right? When's your Apparition test? Sirius and I'll go. Maybe Remus will be back from wherever he is. I'm gonna go. Write back._

_James_

_P.S. This war SUCKS._

Peter read it over a few times again. Werewolf-for-one-night. Without the full moon. He wished he could see Remus, but he had no idea where he was. Death Eaters intercepting owls . . . who knows what they had found out through other people's letters.

Sighing, Peter got out some parchment to write James back.

--

Remus braced himself before walking up the street towards his uncle's house. He had no idea how he and his parents were going to explain his disappearance to their relatives. Then there was his father. He thought back to what Dumbledore had said about Fenrir Greyback, the man who had bit him.

It was another sunny, humid day in Greece. Remus looked out at the crystal blue water as it moved back and forth from the shore lazily. He would be here for a few more weeks with his family. The Muggles in his family had no idea what was going on; they were oblivious to the terror and horror of You-Know-Who and his power. But this was where Dumbledore thought he would be the safest, and he trusted Dumbledore.

He started to walk up the street, past other houses, past other people outside of their houses. He saw the front door open and his younger cousin Moira playing with her friends in front of the house. It wasn't like this in the wizarding world anymore. People locked their doors and kept their kids inside unless an adult was present. "Remus!" Moira exclaimed. "Everyone's been worrying about you."

Remus nodded. "Sorry about that," he said. "I had to run home really quick."

His mum came out of the house, looking frenzied. "Remus!" she exclaimed. She threw her arms around her son. "Oh, my goodness. You should have written us more! Where did you go?"

Remus hugged her back, declining to answer.

She pulled away, looking at him worriedly. She took his hand and pulled him inside. The adults were sitting around in the living room.

"Remus!" his aunt said. She stood up and hugged him. "We were worried, you know."

"I'm sorry," Remus said. "There's just some stuff going on back home. My friend had to go to the hospital. I wanted to visit him."

His uncle and dad stood up, both of them looking concerned. "What happened to him?" his uncle asked.

Remus hesitated before responding, then said, "Car accident."

"Oh, no," his aunt gasped. "Is he going to be all right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he is," Remus said. He thought of seeing James and Sirius in the infirmary at Hogwarts; how they had been fought for him. He had no doubt they would have died yesterday if it meant keeping him safe. "I just . . . I'm sorry, I should have let you guys know."

"Oh, it's all right," his uncle said. "Your parents were worried, though."

Remus nodded. He glanced at his dad, meeting his eyes. His dad gazed back at him, a solemn look on his face. "I'm glad you're all right," he said.

"Thanks," Remus said.

"Are you hungry, dear?" his mum asked. "I'll get you some brunch."

Remus looked at her gratefully. They sat down and ate a bit. He didn't say much to his dad, wanting to ask him about Fenrir Greyback later. His aunt and uncle were planning a trip to the market later on that afternoon. "I think Nancy and I should stay here with Remus," John said.

There was a moment of silence. Remus's uncle nodded. "All right," he said. "That's fine."

"Maybe we'll meet you there, though," Nancy said softly.

An hour later, the three of them were the only ones left in the house. Remus helped his mum wash the dishes. He kept his wand in his pockets, his hands itching to do something.

"Where did you go?" John asked after shutting the door.

"I just had to get away," Remus said, rinsing a plate.

"Get away?" John repeated. "We read about mysterious werewolf attacks, and then we realize that you're _gone!_"

Remus shrugged. He picked up a towel. His mum looked at the two of them worriedly, sensing the tension.

"I want you to say something," John said.

"What do you want me to say?" Remus said, keeping his eyes on the dishes.

John took out his wand, Summoning the towel and plate out of Remus's hands. "Don't ignore me!" he exclaimed.

Remus looked at him, gritting his teeth. "All right, fine!" he yelled. His mum jumped, her hand going to her heart. "What do you want me to say?"

"You just _left_!" John exclaimed. "You could have been kidnapped, killed -"

"I left a note!" Remus yelled.

"That note!" John said incredulously. "It wasn't even - you could have written that if the Death Eaters were threatening to kill you!"

Remus let out a frustrated noise. He usually got along with his dad pretty well, but right now, he wanted him to back off. "So, you wanted me to leave a long note telling you why I didn't think it was safe for me to be here?" he asked.

"Maybe I did!" John said. "Going back home definitely wasn't the best idea since that's where You-Know-Who is the strongest!"

"I was going to turn myself in," Remus admitted. He remembered telling this to James and Sirius, and the disbelief he had heard in their voices and seen on their faces.

"_What_?" Nancy gasped, finally saying something. "Remus, it's not your fault! Why should you have to turn yourself in? We read in the paper that the werewolves were being sent to Azkaban - aren't there those . . . dementors there?"

"Yes," Remus said. "It was the only thing I could think of. I wanted to protect you guys."

There was a moment of silence. Nancy took Remus's damp hand, squeezing it tightly.

"But you didn't turn yourself in," John stated.

"No," Remus said. "James and Sirius and I went to see Dumbledore instead."

"I thought Sirius was in St. Mungo's," Nancy said.

"Me, too," Remus said.

"What did Dumbledore say?" John asked.

"That it was really hard magic with three different spells," Remus said. "A spell, then a potion, followed by another spell. They all have to be in sequence and at the right time or the werewolf could die. He said the potion ingredients were rare, though, and getting even rarer. Then he said it was safe to come back."

Nancy sniffled. Remus looked at her. Tears were falling down her cheeks. "Mum," Remus said. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head on his chest, letting out a small sob.

"I wish you would have let us know that you had plans to turn yourself in," John said.

"I didn't know what I was going to do when I left," Remus said. "I just wanted to get away."

John still looked disapproving. Remus looked away, annoyed. What did he want from him? Nancy pulled away from Remus, wiping her face. "So, Dumbledore thinks it's safe here," she said. "Do the Death Eaters know you're a werewolf?"

Remus sighed, nodding. Her face fell. "How?" she asked.

"Lots of ways," he said. "Dumbledore said they intercepted my owls. They've got access to werewolf registry records. And they know the man who bit me."

Nancy gasped. She looked at John, whose facial expression had changed to one of shock. "What?" he said.

"Fenrir Greyback," Remus said. He met his dad's eyes. "Dumbledore said I should ask you about him."

John stared back at him. He cleared his throat. "He . . . Fenrir Greyback," he said, "is a man . . . well, he's hardly a man anymore. I've heard that he's with You-Know-Who now. I heard that You-Know-Who threatens people so that if they don't serve him, they'll unleash Greyback on their children. That's not what happened with you, though."

He paused, taking a deep breath. He sat down at the kitchen table. Remus watched him, transfixed, wanting to hear the rest.

"We went to school together," John said. "He was bitten a few years after he graduated. He went the wrong way completely. He thinks werewolves should get revenge on wizards, that they deserve blood. He started to crave human blood even when he wasn't in his wolf form. If there is anyone to blame for the prejudice against werewolves, he is one of the few. I worked with him about thirteen years ago, and I told him what I thought about him, that he was a vile, disgusting creature."

Nancy was crying again, and Remus was pretty sure he knew where this was going.

"For revenge, he bit you," John said, his voice breaking.

So, those years of pitying the man who had bit him, of thinking it was just a mistake, had been wrong. Instead, a man who craved human flesh had ruined his life and his parents' lives. Remus exhaled a breath, a feeling of resentment rising up in him. What was happening to men today? You-Know-Who was killing because of their blood, werewolves were using their other half for revenge.

"I'm sorry," John said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Remus."

Remus shook his head. "No," he said. "Don't . . ."

"I'm . . . I should have just kept my opinions to myself," John said.

Remus sighed. "Dad, it's not your fault," he said.

Nancy let out a sob, leaning her head against Remus's chest again. Remus patted her shoulder. John looked at him, his eyes red. "Remus, it's . . . it is my fault," he said. "I wish I could make it up to you."

Remus looked away. "It was his choice," he said shortly. "You don't owe me anything, dad." If anything, he owed them.

--

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews, guys!! You rock :) Sorry this took forever! For an apology, I posted two chapters at once ;)


	22. Poison & Parties

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **Lily continues to work at St. Mungo's. James and Sirius get their letters from Hogwarts - with a surprise badge inside.

--

Lily sat on the top floor in an office with the WWN playing. She was sorting out files, and though it was a mundane job, Lily didn't mind. She needed a break off of her feet. Three days had passed since the Liverpool attack, and Lily had worked three seven hour days in a row. Louise asked her to go back to her original hours, only four in the afternoon, and Lily certainly didn't mind. It was her summer, after all.

In the midst of a Celestina Warbeck song, a rock on the edge of her desk lit up and a voice came from it. "Lily, we need you on the fourth floor!" Louise said urgently.

Lily stood up, grabbing her wand, and jogged down the steps to the floor just below her. She entered the corridor, and heard commotion from the ward which Lily had not been allowed to enter as of yet. It was the ward Aurors and Hit-Wizards came to immediately after attacks, and it was usually staffed by medi-wizards and medi-witches. Finding the door open, Lily saw two injured men, Louise, and a medi-wizard.

"Lily, help Adam!" Louise exclaimed, motioning with her head.

Lily ran over to Adam. The Auror on the bed in front of Adam was bleeding from the stomach. "I need you to draw blood from his arm," he said.

She Summoned a small flask from the stand next to the door as Adam lifted the Auror's shirt up. The wound on his stomach looked pretty deep. His shirt was stained dark red, and blood covered most of his stomach.

After putting her wand to the inside of the man's arm, Lily drew blood out, filling a small flask. Adam performed a spell on the flask. After a few moments, while Adam worked on the wound, the blood turned a silver color. Adam's face fell. He looked at the Auror, frowning. Lily wanted to ask what the silver meant, but didn't.

It was silent for a moment, the other Auror now sleeping. Louise walked over to them, her sleeves rolled up. She saw the flask of silver blood and sighed. She patted the Auror on the knee. "What does silver mean?" Lily asked.

"Poisoned," Louise replied. She walked around Lily. "Sir, I'm afraid you've been poisoned."

The Auror's face contorted in pain. "Is it fatal?"

Louise nodded sadly. Tears started falling out of his eyes, dropping towards his ears. "How long do I have?" he asked.

"Less than an hour," Louise said softly.

He sighed, closing his eyes. "Could you get my fiance here?" he asked.

"Who's your fiance?" Louise asked.

"Wendy Casterbridge," the Auror said. "She works for the Ministry - she's on the third floor, she's an Obliviator."

Louise paused, taking the Auror's hand. She looked at Adam sadly. "I'm afraid we can't leave you alone," she said.

"I'll go," Lily said, surprising herself.

Louise and Adam looked at her, their eyes wide. Lily bit her lip, nodding. "I'll go to the Ministry," she said. "Louise, can I?"

"You must hurry," Louise said.

Lily nodded. "What's your name?" she asked the Auror.

"Kevin," the Auror replied.

Lily left the room and jogged down to the ground floor. She felt like she had never run so fast in her life. She ran to the Floo fireplace and waited behind two other wizards. She forced herself not to cry; she wouldn't, not in front of all of these people. She Flooed to the ministry, entering the Atrium. Her heart hammered against her chest as she jogged to the lift. She went down to the fourth floor, and to the Obliviator Headquarters.

"Wendy Casterbridge," Lily told the receptionist breathlessly. "I'm looking for Wendy Casterbridge."

"All right, just sit down and I'll be with you in just a moment," she said in a bubbly voice.

"Ma'am, I'm coming from St. Mungo's Hospital," Lily said, "and Wendy's fiance is . . . he's requesting his fiance and -"

"Just sit down," the receptionist repeated.

"Her fiance is an Auror," Lily said.

"Yes, I know," the receptionist said, sounding peeved. "Have a seat."

Lily looked at her for a moment, then began to walk towards the cubicles. The receptionist let out a scandalized sound as Lily looked into the cubicles, asking for Wendy Casterbridge. "Miss," the receptionist came after her. "Miss, excuse me -"

"Do you know where Wendy Casterbridge is?" Lily asked, putting her head into another cubicle.

A picture on her desk answered the question for Lily; the Auror Lily had just seen in the ward on the fourth floor was kissing the blonde on the cheek. "Hi," Wendy said, looking confused. "Can I help you?"

"I'm here from St. Mungo's," Lily said. Her voice broke as a look of worry came unto Wendy's face. "I think your fiance - Kevin - he's there."

"What?" Wendy asked. She stood up quickly, grabbing her cloak and wand. "Is he all right?"

"Um, you should come with me," Lily said.

They pushed past the receptionist, and as the two of them stood in the lift, Lily began crying. Wendy noticed, and tears began to stream down her cheeks, as well. "Is he going to be all right?" she asked.

"I don't know," Lily lied. "I'm sorry - I've just been working a lot and . . . I just . . ."

"Oh, don't worry," Wendy said. She took Lily's hand. "You don't mind, do you?"

Lily shook her head, holding back more tears.

They rushed through the Atrium to an open fireplace, and then the two girls ran up the stairs of St. Mungo's to the fourth floor. Wendy's hand slipped out of Lily's as she ran to her fiance's side. He was looking a little blue now, his eyes closing and opening again.

"Hey, beautiful," Kevin said softly.

Wendy put her hand on his forehead. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Kevin shook his head. "I . . . I was poisoned," he said. "I won't be here for much longer."

Wendy let out a sob. Adam slipped out of the room, and Louise moved to the other Auror. Louise walked over to the other bed, standing opposite Louise. The words of the lovers still met their ears, though, and it was like a real-life movie.

"Oh, gods, are you sure?" Wendy asked.

"The Healer tested my blood," Kevin said. "They do this every time we come in, and. . .this time, my blood turned silver."

"Are you sure?" Wendy asked, her voice becoming frantic.

"They did it twice," Kevin said.

Lily glanced over at them, frowning. Wendy was leaning on the bed, crying into Kevin's shoulder. Kevin's hand lay on the back of her head and he was calming her. "It's going to be fine," Kevin said. "It's all right, Wendy. I'll still be here."

Wendy grabbed at his clothes, her cries louder. "Don't go," she said. "Oh, please, Kevin. . ."

"I love you," Kevin said. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Wendy said. She got unto the bed next to him, laying close to his side. Louise turned when she heard the bed moving, but didn't do anything as the two of them lay there.

A few moments passed, and then Lily saw Kevin's chest stop moving. She looked at his eyes, and they stared into space, seeing no more. Wendy seemed to notice this as well. She looked up at Kevin, looking horrified. "Oh, no," she said. "No, no, no." She started shaking him, crying. "No, Kevin, no."

Louise walked over to the other bed, and put her hand on Wendy's shoulder. Lily looked away from the horrible scene, but she was grounded where she stood. She felt like the room was spinning around her. As Wendy began to yell, Lily realized she needed to get out of there. She began walking for the door, her legs like jello. She pushed her way past two people who had come to help and went to the bathroom.

Lily bent over a toilet, staring into the water and the white bowl. She couldn't really see it, though, and all she could hear was Wendy. Her stomach clenched, and she threw up. She couldn't hold it back even if she had tried. She wiped her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks, though she couldn't imagine the sorrow going on in the other room.

--

"Shut _up_, you idiot," Sirius said. "It's not that funny."

"Not . . . that . . . funny?" James gasped. Hs clutched his stomach, bending over where he stood on the sidewalk. "Your girlfriend's parents just caught us swimming in our starkers!"

"And you had to bring the firewhiskey, too," Sirius said, shaking his head. He paused. "Well, we're legal to drink, but still."

"You're lucky Jewel wasn't there with them," James replied. "She wouldn't have been able to restrain herself." He burst into fresh laughter. Sirius got sick of him and Apparated home.

James Apprated into the kitchen a minute later after Sirius. "You prat," he said, throwing his clothes into the hall.

"James, how many times have I told you to put on some clothes while you two are eating?" Martha asked, throwing the clothes back at him. "You missed lunch two hours ago. There's some soup leftover, it's in the fridge. And your Hogwarts letters are on the table."

"Thanks, mum," James said, bringing a pot of soup out of the refrigerator. He left his clothes on the ground where they had fallen. Sirius picked up his letter and threw James's at him.

James poured the two of them bowls of soup and warmed them up with his wand. He seized every opportunity he could to use magic. Sirius looked over his books list, then tossed it aside to eat the chicken soup. James laughed more about Jewel's parents finding the two of them, so Sirius started hexing him and it was at least thirty minutes later when James found his Hogwarts letter on the ground, part of it ripped from the two of them wrestling and part of it with chicken soup on it.

Laughing breathlessly, the two boys sat back down, only half of their soups gone. James opened his Hogwarts letter. He pulled out two pieces of parchment and there was a small ding sound as something fell to the table.

There was a moment of silence as Sirius and James stared at the badge that had been in the envelope. James realized there was a third piece of parchment. He started reading it and, sure enough, Professor Dumbledore had made him Head Boy.

Sirius grabbed the badge and surveyed it very closely. "This can't be real," he said, shaking her head. He tapped the badge, smelled it, licked it.

"Hey!" James exclaimed. He reached forward, taking the badge back. He gazed at the badge, swallowing. "This can't be real."

Sirius took the letter and read it out loud. "You've caused way too much trouble," he said.

"I'm not _that_ bad," James said defensively. Sirius gave him a look. "I thought it'd be Remus."

"Nah, Remus misses too much school," Sirius said. "He wouldn't want to be Head Boy, anyway . . . Prongs, do you realize what this means?"

James stared at the badge in his hands. "What?" he said.

"Evans is Head Girl," Sirius said, a smirk slowly coming unto his face.

"Oh, shut up," James said. He threw the badge at Sirius, which hit his forehead and bounced off.

"Evans is Head Girl," Sirius repeated. He grinned. "And you're Head Boy. That means you have to follow the rules and be all prefect-y and go to _meetings_."

"It means I can take points away," James said, grinning.

"This can't be real," Sirius said again. He looked back down at the letter.

Martha came in, humming. "Boys, why is there soup everywhere?" she asked. She put her hands on her hips and looked at James and Sirius. Her eyes fell upon the badge in James's hand and her mouth fell open. "James . . . is that . . .?"

"Head Boy, mum," James said weakly, holding the badge out.

"Head Boy!" Martha squealed. She let out a scream and threw her arms around James. "Oh, my goodness! Are you sure?" She took the letter from Sirius. "Oh, my! Head Boy! James! Oh, I'm so proud of you! I – there had been rumors, Minerva said something about it to me, but I didn't – really – think . . . James, I'm so happy! We've got to have a party tonight!" She left, talking about everyone she would invite.

James and Sirius looked at each other. "Maybe it's just a prank," Sirius suggested meekly.

"I'm Head Boy, Sirius," James said. He looked at the badge, his mouth hanging open. "This is . . . this can't be real."

--

Martha and Herbert did throw a party. They invited everyone over and sat around, having a good Potter party. All of James's parents friends showed up last minute and James invited some of his friends for the heck of it. Peter Flooed over, but Remus wasn't getting back from Greece until the following day.

"That stupid prat," Sirius said, shaking his head. He was sitting on the couch in the living room as people walked by and congratulated James. "Like he couldn't Apparate over."

"No offense, mate, but I really wasn't expecting it," Peter said to James. He shrugged a bit. "You're a bit of a troublemaker, in case you haven't noticed."

Elphias Doge came into the living room. "James!" he said in a wheezy voice. "James, my boy – I knew you were a shoe-in! Even though you do stir things up a bit, you're perfect for Head Boy. Congratulations, son." He patted him on the back and walked away, laughing.

Jewel and Juniper walked into the room. They greeted Martha, hanging up their coats. The girls walked over to James, Remus and Sirius. "Congratulations on Head Boy, James," Jewel said. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"Of course I do," James said. He gave Juniper a small smile. At Peter's birthday party, the two of them, under the influence of firewhiskey and gillyweed, had connected. As only James could connect with girls that weren't named Lily Evans. "Nice to see you, Juniper."

"Nice job," Juniper replied. She glanced around. "You guys have drinks or what?"

"There's punch and water in the kitchen," James told them.

"We'll be right back," Jewel said. The two of them walked into the kitchen.

"Smooth," Sirius said, smirking.

"Shut up," James said. "What am I supposed to say to her?"

"She knows you're not interested," Sirius replied, waving his cup of punch around.

James raised his eyebrows. "That's not exactly the impression I gave her in the shed," he said. "And at the lake."

"And any girl in her right mind wouldn't be interested in you," his friend responded, smiling. "Don't worry about it, mate. Jewel told me she's dealt with lots of jerks who play with her emotions and –"

"Shut up," James snapped, kicking him in the shin. "Make me feel even worse, you git."

"I'll work on that," Sirius said.

"I'd like to make a toast," Herbert said loudly. James groaned, his face heating up. "Hey, everyone, quiet down, I'd like to make a toast for my son."

The room quieted down. Martha turned the music down and beckoned people in from other rooms. "James," Herbert said, raising his cup up. "You're an amazing boy, even if I do get a letter from McGonagall once a month." A chuckle ran through the room. "He has grown up to be an honest, noble, honorable young man who has a good, big heart. I'm very honored to have you as a son, whether you're Head Boy or not. To James." He raised his glass, smiling at James. Everyone in the room drank, chorusing, "To James."

"Remus should be here," Sirius said to no one in particular.

"Congratulations, James," Peter said again, patting James on the back.

"Why don't you read Dumbledore's letter, James?" Martha asked.

"Oh, right," James said. He pulled the letter from his back pocket and unfolded it. "From Dumbledore himself."

"Come up here, darling," Martha said. James rolled his eyes at Sirius and Peter, but walked towards the front of the room to his parents. His mom touched his elbow lightly. "Read it nice and loud."

"'_Dear James Potter, I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and all of the staff at Hogwarts, have decided to make you Head Boy your seventh year. This decision came about after much debate and discussion, after taking into consideration your colorful history and also your top grades. After your display of courage, kindness, and eagerness to help people during the response to the Liverpool attack, it was evident you were the best choice for the position to lead the student body through another year at Hogwarts. You will he working with Lily Evans, our new Head Girl and one of your own Housemates_.'"

"Go Gryffindor!" someone cheered. People cheered and laughed in response.

Smiling, James continued, "'_The two of you will have many responsibilities and both Professor McGonagall and I recommend that the two of you meet before September 1st. Professor McGonagall will send you letters about any new school rules or schedules. In the meantime, enjoy your late few weeks of freedom. We'll see you at Hogwarts September 1st and congratulations. Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore_.'"

The roomed cheered and applauded. It eventually returned to it normal party – laughing, dancing, drinking and lots of talking. The party went pretty late, but eventually Jewel and Juniper had to go home, Martha and Herbert ran out their crazy drunk friends and it was just the sual inhabitants of the house, plus Peter.

"Mum, that was crazier than parties at Hogwarts!" James exclaimed. "I've never seen Gerta Catchlove drink so much butterbeer."

"I think Grugwyn slipped in a bit more than just butterbeer," Martha said. James could tell even his mum was a little tipsy. "James, your father and I are so very tired. . .don't stay up too late, will you?"

Sirius was on the couch laughing as Martha swayed upstairs with Herbert behind her. "Potter, your parents are drunk!" he said breathlessly. He buried his face into one of the couch pillows as Peter joined with him. James made a face.

"I don't want to know what they're going to be doing tonight," he said, sticking out his tongue.

"Prongs, shut up!" Sirius said, his laughter stopping for a few moments. "You're disgusting."

--

**A/N: **Poor, Lily, her innocence gone. But hey, at least she gets to spend the next year with James, right? Well, next chapter you'll see she's not too happy about that. And there will be Lily/James very soon. . .

Review, please!


	23. Feelings

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter):** Lily visits James to let her know how much she_ doesn't _want him to be Head Boy. She also lets her true feelings show.

--

Lily knocked on the door, exhaling a breath. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot. She couldn't believe this. She had all of her words planned out; she knew exactly what she was going to say to him.

The door opened and Sirius halted, staring at Lily in shock. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He glanced around, looking utterly confused, as though he had never seen Lily before in his life.

"I'm looking for James," Lily said. "Is he here?"

"Er – yeah," Sirius said. Still looking confused, he called, "Hey, Potter! You've got a package! Come on in, Evans."

Lily walked into the house, entering a nice foyer. Sirius shut the door and led her through the foyer and kitchen to the living room. James was walking towards them while he grinned over his shoulder at Juniper.

"Slow down, turbo," Sirius said as James walked into him.

"Oh, sorry –" James began. He looked at Lily and cut off, his eyes widening. "Evans!" He quickly wiped the lipstick off of his face. Lily wasn't sure why this made her even more annoyed. Jewel and Juniper laughed quietly. Peter gave Lily a small wave and smile. Lily nodded at him, smiling.

"Hey, Lily," Jewel said. She raised her glass. "Congratulations on making Head Girl."

"Oh, thanks," Lily said as the others, except for James, who was still completely shocked to see Lily Evans in his own living room, joined in their congratulations. "Speaking of that – James, can I have a word?"

"Uh, sure," James said lamely. He started to walk towards the kitchen.

"James!"

"What, mum?" James yelled. "I'm kind of busy!"

"Come here real quick!"

James rolled his eyes, then walked towards the staircase. Lily paused, then Sirius motioned for her to follow him. They walked upstairs. "Snogging in the living room with your own mother in the house?" Lily asked James, smirking.

"Who said anything about snogging, Evans?" James asked, returning the smirk.

"Unless you know some other way lipstick can get onto your collar," Lily replied.

James walked to his mum's sewing room. "Yeah, mum?" he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"James, come here, I'm trying to make you a new cloak," she said, not looking up. She motioned him towards her.

"Mum, I've got company," James groaned as he walked in.

Martha looked up and saw Lily. "Oh, hello," he said brightly. She took out her measuring tape. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just here to talk to James about our . . . about being . . . about seventh year," Lily said, nodding.

"How responsible of you," Martha said. "James, how tall are you?"

"Five eleven," James said.

"And Sirius?" Martha asked.

"Six feet even," James replied, looking grumbly about it. "Why didn't you call him?"

"All right, I'm done, shoo," Martha said, waving them away. "Lily, will you be staying for lunch?"

Lily tried not to blush. James gave her an apologetic look. She couldn't imagine sitting there with his friends, feeling so out of place. "I'm not sure," she said, smiling.

"I'm making clam chowder today," Martha said, her smile brightening.

"All right, mum," James said loudly. He led Lily out of the room, and she prepared herself mentally.

--

James walked to his bedroom – oh, gods, Lily Evans was going into his bedroom. He put away dirty drawers and shoved some stuff into a pile. "A little messy, sorry."

Lily shut the door and then turned to James. "Why did you –" he tried to say, but his tongue was tied into a knot.

"I don't think you should be Head Boy," she said, crossing her arms.

"You – what?" James asked. "Why?"

"Because you're irresponsible," Lily countered immediately.

"Irresponsible?" James repeated.

Lily only looked at him, her eyebrows slightly raised. It was the look, that which they called The Lily Look.

"Oh, come on," James exclaimed. "It's me, me – James Potter."

"Enough said," Lily said. "I really don't believe that you being Head Boy is in the best interest of the student body. I don't know what the professors were thinking."

"They knew I was the best choice," James said indignantly. He fished around his dirty room for the letter from Dumbledore. "Here – you see?"

Lily took the letter without a word and read it. The silence in the room while she read it seemed endless. She looked at James. "I stick by my opinion," she said.

"Come on, Evans, give me one example when I was irresponsible," James replied, crossing his arms as well.

"Using an illegal hex on Bertram Aubrey for him lecturing you," Lily snapped. "If you had done that wrong at all, his head would have exploded."

"It would have done the 'student body' some good," James said. He hasted to defend himself after he saw Lily's look of disgust. "Hey – hey! Good Godric, Evans, it's a joke. Why can't you lighten up once in a while?"

Lily's eyes narrowed into slits. "Lighten up?" she asked. "I care about everyone at Hogwarts –"

"What, and I don't?" James cut her off.

"You've hexed all of them!" Lily exclaimed.

"Oh, honestly! Getting hexed by the Marauders is like a rite of passage," James said tensely. "You're not a real student at Hogwarts unless we've done something horrid to you."

"Well, if you're Head Boy this year, you can be sure that you won't be separating any boys from men, Potter," Lily said. "This is my seventh year and I'll be damned if you ruin it because you're slacking off on your Head Boy duties."

"I won't slack off!" James exclaimed. "Come on –"

Lily pulled a folder out of her purse. She walked over to his unmade bed and pulled a piece of parchment out of said folder. "This is a list of all the Head Boy duties: prefect meetings, rounds at least twice a week, passwords, coordinate activities, attend all sports events, alert students with news, help to coordinate the schedule and meal menu, volunteer at the infirmary once a month, choose new prefects for the coming year, help choose a new Head Boy and Head Girl, keep prefect bathrooms and classrooms tidy, and promote general well-being of the student body," she said in a business-like tone.

"Bloody hell, it sounds like Dumbledore's list to do," James said, groaning.

Lily pulled out another piece of parchment after putting the first one away neatly. "This is a record of your performance at Hogwarts for the last six years," she said.

"How did you –" James began.

"In your first and second years alone," Lily continued as though he had never said anything at all, "you missed forty assignments, failed nine quizzes, had twelve unexcused absences, and no less than sixteen detentions. You also lost your House a total of two hundred points."

"Only sixteen detentions?" James asked.

"This is not looking good," Lily said, holding the record out for him. "I'm going to send a complaint to Dumbledore –"'

"Oh, Evans!" James exclaimed. "We're kids! We're supposed to enjoy ourselves! I was eleven and I got sixteen detentions; are you really going to let that affect me being Head Boy?"

"You don't care about anything, you're always lazy and putting things off –" Lily said.

"Look, in sixth year I only missed twenty-three assignments, ten less than fifth year," James replied. "I'm improving a little bit!"

Lily stared at him incredulously. "Twenty-three!" she repeated, her eyes wide. She plucked James's school record from his hands and inserted it into her folder.

"What else have you got in there?" James asked.

"I'm going to write Dumb –" Lily began.

"I thought we were friends!" James exclaimed.

For the first time during this conversation, Lily looked completely taken aback. "Well - it - that has nothing to do with whether I think you're responsible enough -"

"Responsible?" James asked. "So, you just don't trust me."

Lily paused, her face falling. "No," she said, her voice tense. "I don't."

"Will you ever?" James asked. Lily stared at him. She had obviously been derailed from her plan of ruining his dreams and elation. "Are you ever going to trust me?"

"It's not about . . ." Lily trailed off. She rolled her eyes, looking annoyed.

"What is this really about?" James snapped.

"I told you!" Lily exclaimed.

"You're insane," James said. "You're insane, Lily, I don't understand you."

"You don't understand me?" Lily snapped. "You've been pretty much obsessed with me for the last two years, and yet . . . the point is, you can't say you don't understand me when you're such a confusing . . . mess!"

James was beginning to feel even more annoyed than before, and he didn't think that was possible. "What is there not to understand?" he asked.

"Why are you snogging Juniper if - if -" Lily cut off, falling silent. She put her hands to her temples. "Forget it. This is so stupid. I can't believe I even came here. What does it matter if I hate the idea of spending the rest of the year with you? It was Dumbledore's decision. I doubt he's going to change it. I'm leaving."

She started to walk towards the door as James tried to make sense of what had just happened. He turned around and grabbed Lily's arm before she left. "Wait," he said. "Don't go yet."

Lily met his eyes, holding her chin high. James didn't know what that comment about Juniper had meant, but he had an idea. He didn't want to get too hopeful, because that was just like him to do that. "Look, if never snogging Juniper again means you'll trust me, then I'll never do it again," he said. "I just want you to trust me."

"James, you're . . . an irresponsible little boy," Lily said. She pulled her arm out of his grasp. "Just forget it."

She left the room and jogged downstairs. As she passed the living room, waving goodbye, Sirius called out, "Leaving so soon, Evans? Didn't you have a nice snog?"

Jewel hit him in the shoulder as Lily disappeared for a moment. Then she came back to the doorway and threw a knick-knack at him. Then she stomped out, Juniper cheering.

--

Lily Apparated to her bedroom, then collapsed onto her bed. She set her elbows on her knees and put her head in her hands. Her bedroom was the only place approved by the Ministry of Magic as safe for Apparition into a Muggle household. Although they couldn't track her Apparition habits, she figured it was a good idea to Apparate into her room, because she was sure no Muggles other than her parents and her sister had the possibility of seeing her. And Petunia never entered her room.

Her mind, momentarily distracted, fled back to James.

After she had heard about James and Juniper snogging at Peter's birthday party (Juniper had told Holly Nice who had told Debra who had told Lily), Lily had felt a distinct feeling of jealousy. After hearing that James had been made Head Boy, that jealousy had given rise into indignation and irritation.

Was she completely mad? Maybe it was the long hours at St. Mungo's. Maybe it was the pressures of the war. Maybe it was her nightmares. Maybe it was the fact that her sister was engaged. Why should she care about who James was snogging?

Well, honestly - if he was going to say things like My heart is always yours, didn't she have a right to be mad when he acted a completely different way?

She remembered telling him, "I don't want your heart."

Maybe she did.

Lily let out a groan, laying down on her bed. No, no, no. There could be nothing worse than falling for a guy for whom you swore you would never fall. Not only was it humiliating, especially since James would probably never let her live it down, but . . . well, maybe that was all. It would hurt her pride.

She didn't like James - she was just going crazy. There was no way. He was an arrogant (even though he was willing to lay down his life for his friends and family), irritating (even though she really liked spending time with him) . . . oh, this was going nowhere.

She needed help. Professional help. If only they had wizard psychologists.

--

"Remus?" a voice broke into his dreams.

Remus stirred in his bed. "Hmmm?" he said groggily.

"Remus, someone's here to see you," his mum said. "Do you want me to tell her to come back?"

"Her?" Remus said, pulling his covers down.

His mum paused. "I think it's Lily, she said.

Remus rubbed his eyes. He looked at his clock. It was ten o'clock, and he had been up reading last night. "Okay, just a minute," he said, pulling himself out of his bed. His mum nodded, closing his door.

What was Lily doing at his house? Remus yawned, pulling on some jeans. He walked out of his bedroom. He nodded to the tall, gruff man by his door. Benjy Fenwick had been guarding them since they had gotten back from Greece. Dumbledore had been fighting against the Ministry of Magic for the rights of werewolves since the freak attacks. He had assigned them Benjy to guard Remus and his family against attacks. He was silent most of the time, but his mum was really beginning to like him.

Lily was sitting in his living room, drinking some tea. "Oh, my gosh, did I wake you up?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Don't worry about it," Remus said with a wave of his hand. "Here, let's go into the kitchen."

Lily followed him into the kitchen with her teacup. "Your mum went outside," she said. She sat down at the kitchen table.

Remus started to look through the cabinets and fridge. "You hungry?" he asked.

"Um, maybe a little bit," Lily said. She began to bite her nails. "How's your holiday been?"

Remus sighed. "A little crazy," he said. "Yours?"

"Crazy is a good way to put it," Lily said. "You've been all right, though?"

"For the most part," Remus said, pulling a carton of eggs out of his fridge. "How do you like your eggs?"

Lily shrugged. "However," she said.

Remus Summoned a frying pan, and flicked the stove on with his wand. Lily glanced over at Benjy, who was watching the telly. "Who's your friend?" she asked.

"No one," Remus said.

Lily stood up and walked over to Remus. She looked a bit nervous. Remus raised his eyebrows at her. "You all right?" he asked.

"I saw a man die," she said softly.

Remus stared at her for a moment, then realized that wasn't polite at all. He looked at the eggs sizzling on the skillet. "Wow," he said, "I'm sorry."

"It was crazy," Lily said. "I mean, he came in, and they found out that he was poisoned, and I went to get his fiance and . . . and he was there, and then he wasn't."

Shaking his head, Remus patted Lily's shoulder. "I'm really sorry," he said.

"I took three days off after that," Lily said. "I still had nightmares, though."

"Gods," Remus breathed.

There was a moment of silence as the two of them took in the heaviness of it all. Lily was only seventeen, and she was watching people die. This war took away too much.

Lily sighed. "Anyways," she said. "I sort of came here for another reason . . . I wanted to let you know that I know about your, um, situation . . . or whatever you would like to call it."

Remus stared at her for a moment. She wasn't talking about . . . he swallowed, looking away from her. Well, Snape used to be her friend. And she was a pretty clever girl. "My situation?" he repeated. "You mean . . ."

"I mean, you being a werewolf," Lily dropped her voice.

Remus nodded. "That's what I thought," he said. "What tipped you off?"

"Well, Snape told me he thought that," Lily said, blushing. "And other things . . . your boggart, and how you disappear every month, and then I started thinking about the Shrieking Shack. That's where . . ."

"Each month," Remus said shortly.

Lily bit her lip. She leaned up against the counter behind her. "Well, I'm glad you didn't turn yourself in or something," she said. "I'm glad Professor Dumbledore is fighting for your rights, I don't think you . . . well, if Dumbledore's right, if the spell requires all three of those factors, then it's pretty rare, isn't it?"

"And getting rarer," Remus said. He moved the eggs off of the skillet unto two plates. He nodded to Benjy. "That's what he's here for. He's protecting me and my family."

Lily glanced over at Benjy, a thoughtful look on her face. "Is he an Auror?" she asked.

Remus shook his head. "Not really sure what he is," he said. "Just one of Dumbledore's men."

There was a moment of silence as Remus took their eggs and put them on a plate. "I'm surprised you're even here," he said.

"Why?" Lily asked, meeting his eyes. "It doesn't change anything, Remus. One night a month doesn't change who you are."

Remus smirked. He wished that were the case. He pulled open the freezer and found a pack of bacon. "So, that's why you came?" he asked. "To confess you know my dirty little secret?"

"One of the reasons," Lily replied. "There's something else, too . . ."

Remus put a few pieces of bacon on the frying pan. "You're making me a full breakfast?" Lily asked.

"I'm thinking about it," Remus said, nodding his head. He Summoned pieces of bread and hexed them with a slow toasting spell.

"You've got quite the cooking talent," Lily said approvingly.

"James would murder me if he knew I was making breakfast for you," Remus said.

Lily's smile faded a little bit. "He's actually . . ." she trailed off. "He's why I came here. Remus, I don't know who to talk to but you. I'm going crazy. Honestly, I shouldn't be jealous - Debra told me that Holly told her that Juniper told her that her and James were snogging at Peter's birthday party. And I shouldn't care, I know I shouldn't. Then I went to his House after I found out he was Head Boy and I just told him off - it's not just because I don't trust him, it's because . . . because I'm jealous."

She buried her head in her hands. Remus smirked. He spread butter on their toast. He thought this day would never come. Honestly, he was beginning to wonder if Lily was just lying to see how Remus would react. "You're falling for James," he said.

Lily groaned, sounding miserable. "Remus, I can't fall for James," she said. "It's against all the natural laws of . . . of nature, of science, of magic, of humanity. Everyone knows that James is supposed to follow me around for the rest of our lives, I was never actually supposed to . . . start liking him."

Remus laughed. "Lily, there are worse things than falling for James Potter," he said.

"Like what?" Lily asked, anguished.

"Being a werewolf," Remus said pointedly. He put their bacon and toast next to their eggs.

"No," Lily said. She followed him to the kitchen table. "No, that's not worse."

"Being a Death Eater?" Remus asked. "Being a dementor? Being Kissed by a dementor?"

"Okay, okay, you've proven your point," Lily said. "It still doesn't help."

"Well, eat up," Remus said. "Maybe you'll feel better."

"Thank you," Lily said, giving Remus a smile. "I'll have to make you breakfast sometime. This smells delicious."

"No problem," Remus said. He Summoned forks for them. "It's really a wonder that wizards aren't fatter. They don't have to walk anywhere. They don't even have to get up from the kitchen table for forks."

Lily giggled, taking a bite of her eggs. After a moment, her face had fallen again. "Remus, I can't fall for James!" she exclaimed. "And being with him for an entire year is not going to help me! Honestly . . . he's so fun to hang out with."

"The two of you are tortured by your love for one another," Remus said.

"Don't say that," Lily snapped. "You're going to jinx us into getting married. It's just a phase I'm going through. It'll be over soon."

Remus nodded, his eyebrows raised. He munched on a piece of toast thoughtfully. "This is going to go over swell with Snape," he said.

Lily threw a piece of bacon at him.

--

**A/N: **Oh, snap. They're so cute, I love them. We see Mary MacDonald, Marlene McKinnon, and someone who might come between Lily and James. . .


	24. Goodbye, Freedom

**Title: **Glass Hearts

**Rating: **PG-13

**Summary (of chapter): **A few new POVs - Mary MacDonald and Marlene McKinnon! Also, Lily goes on a date.

--

Mary gazed out of the window, watching downtown London midday. The summer sun was baking down on the streets and the people. Paul and Frank lived on the sixth floor, so she was above some of the buildings and level with others. She brought her cigarette to her lips, inhaling slowly, letting it relax her nerves. She was already pretty bloody relaxed, but the fags helped even more. She was going to get hooked, and what would she do when she wasn't allowed them at Hogwarts?

Paul was sleeping, his clothes still off. Mary had pulled on one of his t-shirts. She sat on Paul's window seat, her knees up almost by her chest.

Screw this war. Screw her brother. She was so sick of everything, and yet life wouldn't stop for her. She was still stuck on this twisted merry-go-round, but she wanted off. Her NEWTs year was coming up; did she even care? She flicked some ash off of the tip of her cigarette outside the window.

Mary wondered when Katie would find out. Her and Paul had been sleeping together since a few days after the Harpies-Bats match. He needed a shag, and she needed to forget her life. They completed each other. But her and Katie had hung out. They had been friends at one time. She either needed to tell Katie or stop shagging Paul. She didn't want to, either, but she wasn't a complete bitch. Not anymore, anyways.

Mary stood up and started walking around Paul's room. He had yesterday's Prophet on his desk. MACDONALD REFUSES TO COMMENT ON SON'S DISAPPEARANCE.

They focused on the dirty secrets of the famous, like Celestina Warbeck's affair with rumored Death Eater Walden Macnair. It seemed like reporters enjoyed exposing the lives of the rich and the famous instead of focusing on the stories that mattered, like You-Know-Who's growing giant following.

Her brother had disappeared two weeks ago. The press had been quick to note this, especially that horrible woman Rita Skeeter. The hag had tracked Mary down the day before yesterday and tried to get something out of her. Mary didn't want to go back to Hogwarts and endure the looks of the students. No one trusted anyone anymore, not even teenagers, and her family plastered all over the paper wasn't helping. These were supposed to be youthful years, full of joy and carelessness.

Mary took a drag of her cigarette, finishing it off. She flicked her butt out of the window as she exhaled. She only had two in her pack left. Damn. These things were expensive.

There was a knock on the door. Mary looked over, her eyes wide, and the person on the other side of the door didn't wait for a response. Frank pushed the door opened. "It smells like -" he cut off when he saw Mary. His eyes widened. He looked at Paul, at her clothes strewn across the floor. "Uh . . . hi."

"Hi," Mary said. "Don't worry, I was going to tell Katie today."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Mary started to look around for her underwear. "Were you smoking?" Frank asked.

"Yeah," Mary said, picking up her underwear.

"I'm just gonna . . . go," Frank said. He shut the door.

She pulled on her panties and shorts. She stuffed her bra and her shirt in her purse, then slipped on her sandals. "See you, Paul," she said, even though he slept like a log.

Mary left his bedroom. Frank was in the kitchen. Alice Hodge sat at the dining table. She looked up from a magazine. Her eyes widened at the sight of Mary. "Yeah, I know, I'm a slut," Mary said. "I'll see you guys later."

Before she reached the door, she called back to them, "Let me tell Katie, okay?"

--

St. Mungo's was calming down considerably. Lily wasn't as stressed as she had been a month ago. She only worked twenty hours a work. She did have a nice sum of money in her Gringotts vault from all of her overtime hours, though, so those weeks of disquiet were almost worth it.

Lily tucked her hair behind her ear as she sat at a table in the staff room. She had a fifteen minute break, then two more hours until she went home. She was thinking about going out with Marlene later on that night. She took a sip of her tea, then looked out of the window. Downtown London spread out in front of them.

"Can I sit here?" there was a voice above her.

Lily glanced up. A twenty-one-year-old Healer named Dennis stood next to her. He worked on the Potion and Plant Poisoning floor. They had worked together this week. "Oh, sure," she said, motioning to the seat next to her.

Dennis gave her a smile, sitting down. He had shaggy brown hair and dark eyes. He was quite friendly and charming. He was cute, too, and if Lily wasn't careful, she would be liking him soon. But she was looking for any means to get her mind off of James Potter, so she just may be not careful at all and fall head over heels for him.

"So, how are you doing?" Dennis asked.

"Good," Lily said with a nod. "I've only got two weeks left here."

"Oh, no," Dennis said. "I say you just skip your seventh year."

Lily let out a laugh. "I don't think that'll work," she said.

"Just go in for your NEWTs," Dennis said.

Lily smiled. "I'm Head Girl, though," she said.

"Ah, that might be a problem," Dennis replied. "Congratulations, though."

"Thanks," Lily said.

"I wasn't clever enough to be prefect, much less Head Boy," Dennis said.

"Well, the Head Boy this year was never a prefect," Lily said, shrugging. She fleetingly thought of James. Lily had heard from Jewel that they were going to Andromeda's for the weekend. She assumed Juniper was there, as well, which did nothing for Lily's feelings.

"Really?" Dennis asked. "How'd he manage that?"

"Top grades," Lily said. She paused. "He's a good guy. He's . . . just a bit of a trouble maker."

"Who is it?" Dennis asked. "Maybe I know him."

"James Potter," Lily said.

Dennis nodded, realization dawning. "Right, I knew that," he said. "I think my mum mentioned it. She's friends with his mum. Back when I was at Hogwarts, he and his friends were always getting into trouble."

Lily sighed, nodding her head. "That's him," she said.

"Is he Quidditch Captain this year?" Dennis asked.

"Yep," she said. She searched for a change of subject. "Did you play Quidditch when you were in school?"

"Yeah, I was one of the Chasers with James," Dennis said. "He was a pretty good Chaser, for a fourth year."

Of course, they were talking about Potter again. "Do you still play?" Lily asked.

"Every now and then," Dennis said. "Do you?"

Lily shook her head. "Heavens no," she said. "I'm scared of flying. It's just hard for me to sit on a broomstick and not feel like I'm going to fall to my death."

Dennis smirked. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Nothing, really," Lily said with a shrug. Her and Marlene could hang out tomorrow, when Lily was off during the day - maybe they could go to the lake or something. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Dennis said. "Maybe we can do nothing together."

Lily gave him a smile. Was he asking her out on a date? She glanced at the clock; she was out of time for her break. "My break's over," she said softly.

"Well, how about we do nothing at a restaurant?" Dennis asked. "I know this really nice one in Hogsmeade."

"Really?" Lily asked. "That sounds like fun."

"Great," Dennis said. "When do you get off work?"

"In two hours," Lily said.

"Well, maybe I can swing by your house at seven," Dennis said.

Lily paused, thinking about what might be going on at her house that night. She then remembered Vernon's parents were coming over for dinner. How could she forget? Well, she tended to block out the things with which she wanted to have nothing to do. She hadn't been invited, anyways. Her mother insisted she meet Vernon's parents, but Petunia had made it clear in no uncertain terms that she wasn't invited to dinner. Thus her reason for wanting to get out of the house for Marlene earlier.

"Lily?" Dennis said.

"Sorry," Lily said. "Um, my sister's having this really important dinner tonight, and I don't think she'll want any guests coming back. So, how about I meet you at the restaurant?"

"Are you sure you don't need to go?" Dennis asked.

Lily shook her head emphatically. "No, I don't," she said.

"All right," Dennis said. He wrote the address down for her. "Seven?" he said.

"Yes," Lily said, standing up. "I'm looking forward to it."

--

Marlene knocked on Mary's front door. She had sent a short owl about how she was coming by. Mary should have gotten it five minutes ago. There was a moment as Marlene waited, and then the front door swung open.

Mary stood in their foyer, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. "Hey," she said, turning around and leaving the door open for her.

Marlene walked in after her, shutting the door. She had been to Mary's a few times before. Her family lived in a nice-sized house, a lot of it covered in Quidditch memorabilia. The two of them walked into the living room. Mary sat down on the couch, sighing. Marlene plopped down next to her. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just pitying myself," Mary said with a shrug.

Marlene smirked. "Sounds like fun," she said.

"So, who told you?" Mary asked. She stuck her feet up on the table, crossing her ankles over each other.

"You know Elizabeth?" Marlene asked.

"The seventh year?" Mary groaned. "Well, I guess we're the seventh years now. So, I'm guessing Katie told her."

Marlene shrugged. "Probably," she said.

"Paul hates me for telling Katie," Mary said. "I just . . . I realized that that wasn't the kind of person I want to be."

Marlene put an arm around Mary's shoulders, leaning her head on Mary's. "Well, I don't hate you," she said.

Mary let out a small laugh. "Good," she said. "I know how to pick good friends."

The two of them sat there for a moment. The WWN was playing the Hobgoblins. The sun was shining in through the window. Marlene's long legs looked much tanner than usual due to the considerable amount of time she spent in the sun. Mary's were pretty tan, too.

"Does Lily know?" Mary asked.

"I don't know," Marlene said. "I haven't talked to her since . . . Wednesday."

Mary let out a small sigh, leaning her head on Marlene's shoulder. "We should go out tonight," she said. She paused, rocking her foot to the beat. "Hey, I totally forgot - my dad's got tickets to the Hobgoblins concert!"

"No way!" Marlene said. "How many?"

"Enough for you and me, I'm sure," Mary said. She looked at the clock. "It starts at seven. I think he's got backstage tickets, too!"

"Sweet!" Marlene exclaimed. "Have I ever mentioned that I love being your friend?"

Mary grinned. "The slut who gets you all the cool tickets," she said.

Marlene laughed, hitting Mary on the arm. "Oh, shut up," she said. "You made a few mistakes, so what."

Mary stood up. "Come on, maybe we can go shopping for some new clothes for tonight," she said.

--

Lily stood in front of the mirror, looking at her hair. She couldn't figure out what to do with it. Straight, curly, wavy, up, down, half-up . . . there were so many choices. She hadn't been on a date since . . . since going to Hogsmeade with Paul back in February. They had gone for Valentine's Day weekend. That was the same day Davey Gudgeon had told them about the screams they heard from the Shrieking Shack. She thought of Remus that day . . .

Her thoughts floated back to her current date. She was wearing a knee-length skirt with diagonal stripes and a short-sleeved blouse. She always had a hard time deciding when to wear robes and when to wear Muggle clothes. She had sent a quick owl to Dennis asking, and he said Muggle clothes would be fine. Lily was listening to the Bee Gee's, singing softly to their catchy tunes.

Petunia and their mum were preparing for dinner downstairs. It smelled wonderful, but Dennis loved the restaurant they were going to. Not that she was invited to eat at home, anyway.

She finally settled with keeping her hair straight and down. It looked good with her outfit. She put a few things in her purse, tucked her wand into her skirt pocket (she had made all of her pockets long enough for her wand - except for her shorts. It would look quite odd with her wand sticking out of her shorts). Her light jacket matched her shoes. She found some perfume in the bathroom, squirted some on, then walked downstairs.

"Oh, Lily, you look nice," her mum said, smiling at her from the kitchen sink.

"Thanks," Lily said. Her mum and Petunia were dressed up, as well. "You two look nice, too."

"Thank you," her mum said. She glanced over at Petunia. Their parents were only just now realizing the hostility and tenseness between Lily and her sister. They had done so well to hide it before, but now that Vernon was in the picture, Petunia wasn't bothering. "Well . . . have a good time."

"Thanks," Lily said. "Good luck, Petunia."

Petunia nodded. "Right," she said.

"Save me whatever's left," Lily told her mum.

Her mum nodded, looking sad. Lily walked out of the kitchen. She went back up to her room and Apparated from there to the separate Apparition room the restaurant had.

She walked out of the Apparition room, glancing around for Dennis. She saw him sitting in a booth by himself. He waved at her, and she smiled as she walked over. "Hi," she said, sitting down across from him. "How are you?"

"I'm great," Dennis said. "You look nice."

"Thank you," Lily replied. She glanced around. There were candle chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was a stage with a jazz band. Their table had flowers at the end of the table. The wizards and witches were wearing Muggle clothes and robes. She felt a little dressed down; Muggles were more casual than wizards. But Dennis didn't look too dressed up, either, so that made her feel better. "This place is really nice."

"I really like it," Dennis said.

Lily slid her jacket off, setting it next to her. She picked up the menu and started looking over the options.

"Evans?"

Lily looked up. Sirius Black stood a few feet away, looking nice in black trousers and a button-up shirt. "What are you doing here?" she asked. She glanced behind her; there was a group of people being led to the table behind their booth. Remus, Peter, two adults, Jewel, and James and Juniper came up last, his arm around her waist. Her stomach sunk.

"Eating," Sirius said, raising his eyebrows. He glanced towards Dennis. He paused, then extended his hand. "Sirius Black."

"Dennis Davenpeck," Dennis said politely, shaking Sirius's hand.

"Hi, Lily," Jewel said, joining them. "How are you doing?"

"Good," Lily said. Jewel was wearing a nice outfit. "You look really nice."

"Oh, thanks," Jewel said. "Hey, we'll be sitting right over here. I'll talk to you later." Jewel went to sit down. Lily waved at Peter and Remus. She avoided Juniper's eyes, fearing she'd give herself away.

"Lily!" James exclaimed. He walked over to their booth. "Fancy seeing you here."

Lily gave him a tense smile. James gave Dennis a suspicious look. "Who's your friend?" James asked.

"Dennis Davenpeck," Dennis said.

They shook hands, James's eyes boring into his. Lily felt her level of annoyance rising. "James Potter," James said.

"Oh, you two were fourth years when I was a seventh year," Dennis said. "We were on the Quidditch team together."

"Oh, right," Sirius said, nodding, although Lily was sure he had no recollection of Dennis.

James crossed his arms. "So, that makes you twenty," he stated.

"Just turned twenty-one, actually," Dennis said.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "James, we're having dinner," she said tensely.

"We can take a hint," Sirius said. He grabbed James's arm, and they joined their friends.

Lily rolled her eyes towards Dennis. "Sorry about that," she said.

"Don't worry," Dennis said with a wave of his hand. "Your friends wanted to say hi."

"I wouldn't exactly call those two my friends," Lily said with a light laugh.

The dinner turned out to be extremely awkward. Lily had hoped for a relaxing dinner with Dennis, but she could not help but notice that James was not even ten feet away. He was sitting next to Juniper, his arm around her chair the most of the time. Once their plates came, Lily slipped off her shoes and played with Dennis's leg, smiling at him slyly. James and Juniper were eating off of each other's plates. Halfway through the meal, Dennis moved to sit next to Lily. Lily watched as James whispered something in Juniper's ear, making her giggle. Lily asked Dennis to dance.

The two of them walked to the small dance floor. Lily's mind was reeling; she was absolutely crazy. Who asked a stranger to dance on the first date in a restaurant to where they had never been before? Only someone trying to ignore her feelings for James Potter. Dennis turned out to be a pretty good dancer, and he turned out to have hands that traveled a little bit more than she liked. Well, it was her fault for giving him all of the wrong signs.

It was fun, twirling around on the dance floor or swaying or just trying not to look stupid. They sat back down, breathless, and now across from each other. "Oh, I shouldn't have danced right after eating," Lily said, holding her stomach.

"Don't throw up on me, now," Dennis said.

"I'll try," Lily said.

"Do you want any dessert?" Dennis asked.

"Oh, no," Lily said, shaking her head. "But thank you so much."

Lily looked over at the table next to them. They were looking like they were having the time of their lives, James telling a story animatedly. Lily watched him for a moment. She looked away when she realized she had let her eyes linger on his messy hair and contagious smile.

"You all right?" Dennis asked.

"Yeah," Lily said.

They talked for ten more minutes, then got ready to leave. Lily picked up her purse and pulled on her jacket. "See you later, Lily," Jewel said brightly.

Lily gave her a smile. "I'll write you," she said. "You'll have to tell me all about your crazy weekend."

"Not everything, though," James said, smirking.

"Yeah," Lily said to Jewel, "there are some things I'd rather not know."

Jewel smiled. "Don't worry," she said.

"You ready?" Dennis asked Lily.

"Yeah," Lily said.

"It was nice to meet . . . some of you," Dennis said, smiling.

Lily waved as they left, Dennis's hands on the small of her back.

--

**A/N: **The next chapter is our last before the students return to Hogwarts for their seventh year. Marlene and Mary enjoy their Hobgoblins concert (a little too much, even), and we see the crew at Andromeda's house. At the end, the Death Eaters make it clear they're here to stay.


	25. Too Much Trouble

**Title: **Glass Hearts**  
**

**Rating (of chapter):** PG-13

**Summary: **Marlene and Mary go to a Hobgoblins concert and run into Sirius' brother. There's also a murder of a Hogwarts student family member.

--

Mary decided that her and Marlene were best friends for some very good reasons. They had gone to Hogsmeade to buy clothes, spending their parents's money, and then come back at Mary's place to get ready. After fooling around in the bathroom with beauty charms and their hair for an hour, they left with Mary's dad to the Hobgoblins concert.

Like the Quidditch game, they separated from Mary's dad as soon as they could. Mary and Marlene made their way to the front of the crowd, close to the stage. The Hobgoblins were a popular rock band with some of the most attractive young men Mary had ever seen. They had been featured in Witch Weekly earlier on this summer.

The two of them danced and enjoyed the music. By the end of the concert, Mary's voice was hoarse. They went backstage with her dad while the band was cleaning up. Mary saw a few familiar people in the back room; Celestina Warbeck, Regulus Black. "Isn't that Sirius's brother?" Mary asked Marlene quietly as they got a few drinks from a table in the back.

"Yeah," Marlene said.

Mary took a sip of butterbeer, watching him across from the room. She had heard that Regulus was there with her brother the night he was arrested. She fleetingly wondered if Regulus knew where he was now. After a moment, Evan Rosier joined him. Mary rolled her eyes, looking away. "Of course Slytherins have to be here," she said.

Marlene smirked. "I don't get why Regulus even hangs out with them," she said.

"Why wouldn't he?" Mary asked. "He's a Slytherin from a pureblood family."

"Point," Marlene said.

The band came in, bringing cheers and applause from the inhabitants of the room. The singer, Stubby Boardman, smiled modestly and made his way over to the drinks table where Marlene and Mary stood. He wore Muggle clothes; torn jeans and a leather jacket. "Ladies," he said, nodding to them.

"Nice job tonight," Marlene said.

"You guys are wicked," Mary added. She put out her hand. "I'm Mary."

"Nice to meet you," Stubby said, shaking her hand. He took a drink of his water and looked at Marlene.

"I'm Marlene," she said in response to his unasked question.

"Marlene and Mary," Stubby said, nodding his head approvingly. "Mmmm."

An hour later, they were still hanging out backstage. Mary was sharing a cigarette with Stubby Boardman, her legs draped over his lap casually. Marlene was talking with the guitarist about the latest Quidditch games. Stubby's hands were on Mary's legs, his fingers drumming a beat.

Evan Rosier and Regulus Black walked over to them and sat on the couch which sat across from them. Mary gave them a look of cool dislike, exhaling her smoke. "Evan," Stubby said. He leaned forward and shook Rosier's hand. "How long have you been here, mate?"

"At least an hour," Rosier said. "Have you met Reg?"

Stubby shook his head, nodding to Regulus. "Wotcher," he said.

"Regulus Black," Rosier said, clapping him on the back.

"Ah," Stubby said. "Your brother's Sirius."

Regulus sighed. "I just can't escape him," he said.

"We hung out at my concert in Wales," Stubby said. "Him and his friend James."

"They're in my year at Hogwarts," Mary put in, wanting some of the attention back.

"Are you a Gryffindor, too?" Stubby asked.

Mary nodded proudly. Rosier scoffed. He looked at Stubby, raising his eyebrows. "You like 'em?" he asked.

"Yeah, they're pretty cool," Stubby said.

"We all got into a fight a few months ago," Rosier said.

"House rivalry?" Stubby asked, taking a drink of his firewhiskey.

"Something like that," Rosier said. He looked at Mary. "What was it again, MacDonald?"

"He called your father a bastard," Mary said shortly.

"Right," Rosier said.

"I think I recall Sirius taking you out with a Body-Bind Curse," Mary said. She gave him a smug smile. "Right?"

Rosier glared at her as Mary took another drag of her cigarette. "I think I recall your brother taking someone out with a Killing Curse last week," he said. "But I could have been mistaken."

"You're a real arsehole, you know that?" Marlene yelled at him.

Mary looked away, gritting her teeth and finishing off her cigarette. She fought back tears; she wasn't going to cry in front of Rosier and Black, no way in hell.

"All right, all right," Stubby said loudly before Rosier could respond. "The backstage of a rock concert is no place to fight. It's a place to party. Firewhiskey, anyone?"

There was a moment of tense silence. Mary looked back at the Slytherin boys. Rosier had a smirk on his face. "I'll take some," he told Stubby.

"Let's play a drinking game," Marlene suggested.

"Auror's daughters drink?" Rosier asked.

"Your dad's an Auror?" the guitarist next to Marlene asked.

"Christopher McKinnon," Marlene said proudly.

"How do you play?" Mary asked.

"When it's your turn, you say something you've never done," Marlene began to explain. "If other people have done it, they have to take a drink. And it has to be something you're capable of doing - not something like I've never been a boy. It's fun, I played it with Sirius last Christmas."

"At Andromeda's party?" Mary asked.

Regulus scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You two went to that?" he asked.

Marlene gasped a little bit. "He speaks!" she exclaimed.

"Very funny," Regulus said.

"Yeah, we were invited," Mary said. "It was pretty cool."

"Okay, I'll go first," Marlene said before any nasty comments could be made. "I've never smoked gillyweed."

And the game was off.

Fortunately for everyone's sanity, Rosier left half an hour later. He was hurling sarcastic comments here and there, and Marlene was about to hex his head off. Everyone was a bit tipsy, but they continued the game on for a while. After a while, they were sitting around. "Firewhiskey is heaven," Regulus said. He was leaning back on the couch, his eyes closed.

Mary leaned up against Stubby, smiling at him. "You're really . . . sexy," she said softly.

Stubby smiled back at her. He kissed her. He caught her a bit off guard, but she didn't mind. She leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. It was a bit sloppy, both of them a little drunk, but hell, she was snogging a rockstar.

After a few minutes, there was a flash. Mary pulled away. There was a woman with a camera standing at the end of the couch they were on. She had a small badge on his shirt that said Witch Weekly. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Don't worry, she's just a reporter," Stubby said.

Stubby persuaded her into ignoring the reporter, despite the fact that Mary knew something was wrong with the situation.

Half an hour later, they were still on the couch. "Hey, do you want to go to my hotel room?" Stubby asked Mary, his voice low.

Mary gave him a sly smile. "Maybe," she said. She looked over at Marlene, who was still talking to the guitarist and Regulus. Stubby led his hand up her thigh. "Hey, Marlene, I'm going to go to Stubby's hotel room."

Marlene looked at her. "What?" she said incredulously.

"His hotel room," Mary said. "Just stay here until we get back."

Stubby pulled Mary up off of the couch, grinning. Marlene stood up as well, taking Mary's other arm. "No," she said. "We need to go home."

Stubby looked at Marlene with a confused look on his face. "Oh, come on," he said. "Don't spoil the fun."

Marlene glared at him, pulling Mary away from him. "Sorry, Stubby," she said. "Maybe some other night."

Mary paused, looking over her shoulder at Stubby. "Goodnight," she said, smiling at him.

Stubby looked extremely disappointed, as did the guitarist on the other couch. Marlene marched out of the backstage room, pulling Mary along with her. "How on earth are we going to get home?" Marlene muttered to herself.

--

Jewel walked down the steps, rubbing her eyes. She got unto the ground floor of Andromeda's house. She walked into the kitchen and was greeted with an interesting sight. Juniper sat at the table with an issue of Witch Weekly in her hand, and Sirius and James were huddled behind her. Jewel raised her eyebrows. Remus, who sat at the other end of the table, gave her an amused look. Peter had his head down on the table, and he appeared to be sleeping.

"What's the gossip today?" Jewel asked.

"Mary and Marlene," Juniper said. "They were at the Hobgoblins concert last night, and Mary was snogging Stubby Boardman."

"The main singer?" Jewel asked. She began to look around the kitchen. There were eggs cooking, the toaster had bread in it, and knives were chopping vegetables. "This looks good. Who's cooking?"

"Sirius is," James said.

"You know how to cook?" Jewel asked, slightly surprised.

"It says Mary was sleeping with Paul Brendell, too," Juniper said.

"Paul Brendell?" Jewel said.

"That dirtbag," James said, shaking his head. He walked away from Juniper, stretching his arms above his head. "Come on, Sirius, I'm hungry."

Sirius was reading the article over Juniper's shoulder. Jewel walked over to see what was so interesting. The headline of the article was Are Gryffindor Girls Getting Into Too Much Trouble? There was a picture of Mary MacDonald snogging Stubby Boardman. The second picture tipped Jewel off to why Sirius was so interested. Marlene McKinnon sat next to the the guitarist of the Hobgoblins and none other than Regulus Black. The three of them were laughing, and Marlene pushed Regulus's shoulder lightly. She had a bottle of firewhiskey in her hand.

"That's your brother," Jewel stated.

"Thank you, Miss Obvious," Sirius said. He walked past her to the stove.

Jewel rolled her eyes at Remus, who smiled at her. His light brown hair was slightly messy. She realized Sirius was in his boxers and James wore pajama pants. It looked like she was the only one who had bothered getting dressed that morning. "So, is this pajama breakfast?" she asked.

"Didn't you get the owl?" James asked, sitting on the counter.

"Where are Andromeda and Ted?" Jewel asked.

"They had to go to Ted's parents' house," Remus told her.

"They left us here? Alone?" Jewel asked.

"Crazy, huh?" James said. "You guys want to go to the lake at one?"

Jewel looked at the clock. It was ten o'clock now. "One sounds good," she said. "Or even noon."

"I forgot a bathing suit," Juniper said with a frown.

"You don't have to wear anything, technically," James said.

Juniper shot him a glare. "I can Apparate home quick and get it," she said. "Sorry, James. Maybe some other girl will go swimming in her starkers with you."

"Maybe," James said with a shrug.

--

If there was anything Sirius would miss about James's house, it would be the river by his house. Of course, he didn't know when he would move out. Hopefully later rather than sooner. Although getting his own flat next summer would be ideal, he knew he would miss the Potters.

Jewel was laying on her back next to him, looking up at the August sky over them. It was cooling down, but it was still hot. Sirius sat on the riverbank, dipping his toes in the river. They only had about a week left until the start of their seventh and last year at Hogwarts. Sirius felt mixed feelings of anticipation and sadness. The summer was ending, and it would be their last summer they would spend on vacation between school years. He was excited for his last year at Hogwarts; he was sure it would be the best of all seven of them. And then he would go on to the adult world, hopefully into Auror training.

Sirius turned to look at Jewel, who had been working at an orphanage the Ministry had set up recently. There were about twenty kids there, children whose parents had been killed, children whose parents had abandoned them. Jewel said that over the last month, kids were shuffled in and out while the Ministry searched for a home for them.

Sirius lay back next to Jewel. Sometimes he couldn't work the two of them out. Honestly, the first five or six months of their relationship hadn't been very serious. Although they called each other boyfriend and girlfriend, they weren't all that exclusive. He hadn't even really gotten to know her until around Valentine's Day. Maybe some of the charm from their prank still had effect on him.

"I can't believe it's almost the end of the summer," Sirius said. "It flew by."

"Yeah," Jewel said. "It was crazy."

"Seventh year is almost here," Sirius said.

"We're going to have to grow up," Jewel replied.

"But not yet," Sirius said.

--

Lily yawned at the breakfast table as she stirred her oatmeal. An owl came in with the paper. She gave him a knut, and he left the kitchen. Good thing Petunia wasn't around. She hated owls. Petunia avoided being in the same room with Lily for more than five minutes, though. She opened the paper and looked at the front article.

_OGDEN'S FAMILY THREATENED BY DEATH EATERS_

_Harver Ogden, voted less than a year ago to be the acting Minister of Magic, has reported that Death Eaters threatened to kill his family if he did not listen to their requests. The threats started in December and carried on through until recently. Having recently told his wife, he and his family decided to face the Death Eater's threats head on. His family has fled the country and Ogden has taken control of the Ministry back into his own hands._

_Ogden explains this was his reason for a number of moves thought questionable by the general wizarding body, including taking certain rights from Aurors and Hit-Wizards. Until yesterday, Aurors and Hit-Wizards could only report to a crime scene if specifically called. They did not have the right to intervene in attacks. They were also not being paid overtime, even though the average Auror and Hit-Wizard works eighty hours a week. There were also plans to take the priveleges of the Ministry-paid healthcare St. Mungo's offers away from all immediate family members of the employees of the Magical Law Enforcement Department._

_Ogden claims he is "tired of living in fear" and wishes to "administer the correct rights to the men and women fighting for our safety." He continued to say, "The only way this war will end is if we do not cave in to fear of You-Know-Who and his followers, but face them head-on."_

_His family's safety is in question, of course. Death Eaters usually follow through on their threats, but we hope that Ogden's wife and two children, both younger than twelve, will live beyond these death threats. There is also the question of Ogden's extended family, including his mother, his sister, and his sister's family. Ogden himself now has two personal bodyguards as opposed to previously only one._

Lily read through the article, riveted. Harver Ogden was Candace's uncle. She ran upstairs and wrote a quick owl to Candace.

_Candace,_

_I read the article about your uncle. You're all right? I'll see you in a week, but I just want to make sure you're safe._

_Love,_

_Lily_

--

Candace was cooking dinner when they came.

Her parents sat in the living room, playing card games. The Auror who had been assigned to protect them sat at the kitchen table, reading the Daily Prophet. The sun was setting outside, casting shadows on their lawn. Humming to the WWN, Candace waved her wand towards the potatoes. She was getting the hand of cooking with magic. She watched as the knife cut the potatoes, smiling approvingly.

The Auror - his name was Trent Hartford - stood up quickly, whipping out his wand. He sent a silver stream of smoke out of the tip of his wand.

As soon as it was gone, there was a series of pops! Candace let out a scream as three hooded men Apparated into their kitchen. How had they broken through the wards?

The Auror immediately started dueling with them. Candace ducked down behind the kitchen island when one of the Death Eaters threw a spell at her. She heard her parents yelling, her dad joining the duel. When a Death Eater ran around the island, Candace did the first thing that came to her mind; hexed the knife towards him. It stabbed him in the stomach. She kicked him in the back of his legs, knocking him over, and then pointed his wand at him to Stun him.

Before she could, though, another Death Eater grabbed her from behind. She let out a scream, starting to kick and fight against her captor, but he pointed her wand at her neck, digging the tip into her throat.

"I'll kill her," the Death Eater yelled.

The spells stopped for a moment. The third Death Eater and Hartford stood still, their wands pointed at each other.

Candace's mum sat by the kitchen table, her husband's head in her lap. She was sobbing; he was motionless. Candace's heart slammed against her ribs. "Dad!" she exclaimed.

"Shut up!" the Death Eater said, jabbing her with his wand. "Drop your wand, Hartford, or I'll kill her."

"Don't please!" Candace's mum yelled.

Hartford paused. He looked at Candace, then back at the Death Eater. He put his wand on the kitchen island, holding his hands up in surrender.

Candace's captor let out a harsh laugh. "Now that we've taken care of him," he said, "bring Ogden here."

"What?" Hartford asked.

"Bring him here!" her captor shouted.

Tears started to stream down Candace's cheeks. Not her dad . . . oh please, let him not be dead. Just hurt, just Stunned, not dead. All reason and logical thinking fought against her heart and emotions.

"I don't have any way -" Harford began.

"Crucio!"

Candace was overtaken by unbearable pain. She wasn't aware that her body dropped out of the Death Eater's arms or that her mother was screaming, her mind was focused only on the knives stabbing into her body.

Suddenly, it stopped. Candace lay on the ground, panting, crying. Her mum was sobbing across the kitchen, and Hartford glared at the Death Eater standing over Candace. "Please," Candace's mum pleaded. "Please, leave her alone. She's only a child."

"Only a child?" the Death Eater repeated. He looked down at Candace. "How old are you, missy?"

"Seventeen," Candace panted.

"Obviously old enough to send her knife into my colleague's stomach," Death Eater said, kicking her in the side. Candace winced, closing her eyes. He pointed his wand at her again. "Hartford, I'm not going to tell you again. I want Ogden here now. I want him to understand that the Dark Lord does not give threats he will not carry out should the circumstances call for it. I want him to understand that until he does what the Dark Lord wants, every person in his family will die until he is the only one left. And I want him to understand that if he still isn't cooperating after we kill everyone he cares about, we'll kill him, too."

Hartford glared at the Death Eater. "I can't contact Ogden," he said loudly.

"_Crucio_!"

Candace felt the pain again. She let out screams, overpowering her mother's. She cringed on the ground, trying to bear it. It stopped again. Candace let out a sob. "Shut your mouth!" the second Death Eater yelled at her mum.

Her mum covered her mouth, sobbing quietly. Candace looked at her mum, meeting her eyes. "I'm all right, mum," she said.

"I'll ask you one more time," the man standing over Candace said to Hartford. "Get Ogden here."

There were more pops! In a frantic moment, Candace was sure she was going to die. Then she realized the newly Apparated people were fighting against the Death Eaters. Candace made a grap for her wand while spells flew around above her head. The two able Death Eaters were now outnumbered. There was a green light, killing the man who had taken Candace captive. Candace Stunned the man who was stabbed, who had been trying to duel against a boy with blonde curls. After a second look, Candace realized it was Frank Longbottom.

A dark woman battled the third Death Eater on the ground with Hartford by her side. He was soon Stunned on the ground. Candace ran to her parents. "Is he alive, mum?" she asked.

Her mum began sobbing again. Candace's worst fears were confirmed as her mum shook her head. Candace grabbed her dad by the shoulders, shaking him. "Dad, dad, dad," she said, tears streaming down her face and blurring her vision.

Candace put her face by her dad's, sobs emitting from her body. Her mum's wails filled the kitchen. Candace sat up, wrapping her arms around her mum and crying into her shoulder.

The three members of the Order of the Phoenix watched silently. Dorcas shook her head. "That's one thing I won't get used to," she said quietly.

--

**A/N:** I swayed from the main characters for most of this chapter, but seventh year is coming up!! There will be tension between James and Lily, the war intensifies, trouble brews for Sirius and Jewel, and more! I made a new story, so please subscribe for updates: fanfiction .net/s/5577126/1/Glass_Hearts_the_Seventh_Year


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